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PREFACE 

The  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  give  the  children  who  read  it 
a  living  knowledge  of  Australia  and  the  chief  islands  of  the 
world,  and  especially  those  which  have  become  colonies  or 
dependencies  of  the  United  States.  Within  the  past  few  years 
our  own  territories  have  been  extended  to  the  other  side  of  the 
globe.  We  have  acquired  new  lands  with  new  climates,  re- 
sources, and  products.  We  have  adopted  into  our  national  family 
millions  of  people  belonging  to  races  different  from  ours,  having 
different  customs  and  a  different  civilization.  In  our  far-away 
lands  the  whole  aspect  of  nature  seems  changed,  and  we  seem 
to  be  in  a  new  world.  This  is  so  not  only  of  Samoa,  Hawaii, 
and  the  Philippines,  but  also  of  Porto  Rico  and  our  dependent 
sister  republic  of  the  West  Indies,  the  great  island  of  Cuba. 

This  book  aims  to  take  the  children  themselves  into  this  new 
world.  In  a  personally  conducted  tour  through  the  eyes  of  the 
author  they  travel  over  it,  seeing  our  brown-skinned  cousins  of 
the  several  colonies  as  they  are  at  home.  They  learn  about 
the  resources  of  the  various  islands,  and  of  their  value  to  the 
United  States.  They  visit  the  people  on  the  farms  and  in  the 
factories.  They  spend  some  time  in  the  cities  and  villages, 
and  they  explore  the  wilds,  observing  the  wonders  of  plant  and 
animal  creation. 

A  glance  at  the  contents  will  give  some  idea  of  the  scope  of 
the  tour.  Not  only  our  colonies,  but  also  Australia  and  the 
chief  islands  of  the  world,  have  been  visited.      The  most  impor- 

7 


S  PREFACE 

taut  parts  of  the  Atlantic,  Pacific,  and  Indian  oceans  are  trav- 
ersed by  the  pupils,  who  are  taken  on  a  zigzag  trip  around  the 
globe  and  introduced  to  many  strange  parts  of  it  usually  omitted 
in  books  of  this  nature. 

Much  of  this  volume  is  based  upon  the  personal  investiga- 
ticms  of  the  author  in  the  countries  described,  and  many  of  the 
illustrations  are  reproduced  from  photographs  taken  by  him. 
This  is  especially  so  of  those  chapters  relating  to  Porto  Rico, 
Samoa,  Hawaii,  and  the  Philippines,  which  have  been  visited 
for  the  purpose  of  writing  this  book  since  they  became  a  part  of 
the  United  States. 

Great  care  has  been  taken  not  only  as  to  the  colonies,  but 
also  as  respects  all  the  islands  described,  that  the  descriptions 
be  as  accurate  and  as  up  to  date  as  possible.  The  territory  is, 
however,  so  vast  and  so  varied,  covering  as  it  does  the  whole 
world,  that  only  the  most  important  places  and  things  can  be 
mentioned,  the  subjects  being  chosen  with  due  regard  to  child 
interest  and  at  the  same  time  instruction. 

These  travels  are  not  intended  to  take  the  place  of  the  school 
geographies,  but  they  should  be  used  with  them  as  a  supple- 
mentary reader.  As  with  the  volumes  already  published  de- 
scribing similar  tours  in  North  America,  South  America,  Asia, 
and  FAH'ope,  the  text-books  on  geography  may  be  regarded  as 
the  skeleton,  and  this  reader  as  the  flesh  and  blood  which  will 
clothe  its  dry  bones  and  make  our  colonial  possessions  and  the 
other  islands  of  the  seas  a  living  whole  in  the  minds  of  the 
pupils. 


CONTENTS 


>.  PAGE 

General  View  of  Australia  .  1 1 
In  Sydney,  the  New  York  of 

Australia i6 

Sheep  and  Wuul  in  Australia  24 
South  Australia  and  the  Great 

Gentral  Desert  —  Adelaide  34 
Gold  Mining  jn  Australia — - 

Ballarat  —  Melbourne  .  .  39 
A    Land    of    Strange    Plants 

and  Animals 44 

Queenslantl  —  The       I'earl 

Fisheries  —  The       Great 

Barrier   Reef 53 

Among    tlie    Aborigines    or 

Native  Australians  ...  60 
Western  Australia  and  Tas- 
mania      65 

New  Zealand 73 

A   Visit    to   a   Meat-freezing 

Factory 79 

Wellington — The  Hot  Springs 

—  Among  the  Maoris  .  .  82 
New    Caledonia    anil    Other 

French  Islands     .     .     .     .     91 

New  Guinea 95 

Kaiser    Wilhelms    Land   and 

Some  German    Islands    of 

the  Pacific 104 

The  Fijis  and  Other  British 

Possessions  of  the  Pacific  .    ill 

Samoa 119 

Our  Hawaiian  Possessions  — 

Honolulu 127 


CHAP.  PAGE 

19.  The  Industries  of  the  Hawai- 

ian Islands 134 

20.  A  Visit  to  a  Volcano     .     .     .142 

21.  The  Island  of  Guam     .     .     .   148 

22.  General  View  of  the   Philip- 

pine Islands 153 

23.  Manila,    the    Capital    of    the 

Philippines 161 

24.  Home  Life  and  the  Markets   1 71 

25.  A  Trip  through  the  Country — 

Rice,  Sugar,  anil  Tobacco   178 

26.  Through    the    Mountains    of 

Luzon 187 

27.  The   Visayan    Islands— The 

Hemp  Industry    .....    193 

28.  Mindanao  and  the  Moros       .  201 

29.  The  Sulu  Archipelago  .     .     .  206 

30.  Borneo 213 

31.  The  Dutch  East  Indies      .     .  222 

32.  Batavia,  the  Dutch  Capital    .  228 
^2-  The  Natives  of  Java     .     .     .  233 

34.  Some  Industries  of  Java    .     .  241 

35.  Sumatra 249 

36.  Singapore  .     .     .     . '    .     .     .257 

37.  Cevlon 265 

38.  Mauritius  and  Reunion     .     .  271 

39.  Madagascar    —    The      Fast 

Coast      .......  274 

40.  The  Hovas  and  the  Central 

Plateau 279 

41.  Among  the  Sakalavas  .     .     .  287 

42.  Zanzibar     and     <  )ther     East 

African    Islands   ....  289 


lO 


CONIKNTS 


LllAP.  TAr.E 

4j.    West    African    Islaixls — St. 

Helena 292 

44.  The  Cape  Verde  ami  Canary 
Arcliipelagoes  .... 
The  Madeiras  and  the  Azores 
The  Balearic  Isles  .... 
Corsica  and  Elba  .... 
Sardinia  and  Sicilv  .... 


294 
298 
302 
306 
308 


45- 
46. 

47- 
48. 

49.  .Malta  and  the  Grecian  Isles  312 

50.  Crete,  Rhodes,  and  Cyprus   .  315 

51.  The  West   Indies  —  General 

View 319 

52.  The  l>esser  Antilles      .     .     .321 

53.  General  View  of  Porto   Rico 

■ —  .\    Walk    through    San 
Juan 329 


CHAP.  Mr-.H 

54.  ^Vcross  Porto  Rico    ....  ^^■j 

55.  Haiti,  the  Island  of  the  Two 

Black  Republics  ....   344 

56.  Jamaica 5:52 

57.  Cuba,  the   Pearl   of  the  An- 

ti'l« 357 

58.  Havana 302 

59.  On   the    Sugar  and  Tubacco 

Plantations 367 

60.  The   I5ahamas  and    the    Ber- 

mudas     370 

61.  The     Islands     of     Ice     and 

Snow 375 

62.  Islands    around     and     aliout 

South  America     ....  380 


LIST   OF    MAPS 


The  World frotttispiece 

Australia 12 

New  Zealand 7^ 

New  Guinea 96 

Fiji  Islands 112 

Samoa  Islands I19 

Hawaiian  Islands 128 

Guam 14^^ 

^'hilippine  Islands 154 


East  Indies 212 

Java 229 

Ceylon 265 

Madagascar 276 

Mediterranean  Sea 304 

West  Indies 318 

Porto  Rico 330 

Cuba 35S 

Iceland 37^ 


AUSTRALIA,   OUR   COLONIES,   AND 
OTHER  ISLANDS   OF   THE  SEA 


oJ*Jc 


I.    GENERAL  VIEW   OF   AUSTRALIA 

THIS  book  will  describe  the  tour  of  a  party  of  boys  and 
girls  around  the  world  on  the  lookout  for  strange 
lands  and  strange  peoples.  Every  child  who  reads  it 
shall  be  one  of  the  party.  He  must  forget,  for  the  time, 
that  he  is  in  America  and  imagine  himself  with  us  in 
those  far-away  countries. 

We  are  to  explore  the  chief  islands  of  this  big  round 
earth.  A  look  at  the  map  will  show  you  what  a  vast 
number  of  them  there  are  and  how  they  are  scattered. 
Some  lie  on  the  edge  of  the  broiling  Equator,  others 
are  close  to  the  ice-clad  poles.  Some  are  high  islands 
formed  by  the  peaks  of  volcanic  mountains  which  have 
been  thrown  up  out  of  the  sea ;  others  are  low  islands 
built  up  by  little  coral  animals  from  the  bed  of  the 
ocean. 

There  are  so  many  islands  that  our  tour  must  be  care- 
fully planned  that  we  may  not  miss  the  principal  ones, 
and  even  with  the  best  of  planning  it  will  be  impossible 
to  set  foot  upon  all. 

Avoiding  the  greater  land  divisions  we  shall  start  with 


GENERAL  VIEW   OF  AUSTRALIA  1 3 

Australia  and  thence  steam  on  from  island  to  island,  going 
from  sea  to  sea  and  ocean  to  ocean  until  we  have  encom- 
passed the  globe. 

Australia  is  the  largest  island  of  all,  so  large  that  it  is 
classed  with  the  continents.  It  is  almost  twice  as  large 
as  all  the  countries  of  Europe  without  Russia  and  the 
Scandinavian  Peninsula,  and  almost  as  large  as  the  whole 
United  States  without  Alaska,  so  large  that  we  shall  have 
to  travel  two  thousand  miles  farther  than  from  New  York 
to  London  and  back  if  we  but  sail  around  its  coast.  From 
east  to  west  it  is  longer  than  the  distance  from  the  Hud- 
son River  to  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  from  north  to 
south  its  width  is  greater  than  the  distance  between 
Philadelphia  and  Denver. 

This  vast  body  of  land- as  we  look  at  it  on  the  map  is 
shaped  somewhat  like  a  great  heart,  but  if  we  could  view 
it  as  the  sun  sees  it,  we  should  find  it  composed  of  mighty 
plains  tilted  up  at  the  edges  and  sloping  towards  the  cen- 
ter somewhat  like  an  enormous  soup  plate  of  irregular 
shape.  At  the  eastern  side  we  should  see  a  range  of 
mountains  making  that  part  of  the  plate  the  highest,  and 
in  the  southeast  Mount  Kosciusko,  the  highest  mountain 
of  Australia,  reaching  almost  a  mile  and  a  half  above 
the  sea  and  looking  to  us  like  a  knob  on  the  rim  of  the 
plate. 

This  island  continent  is  largely  a  desert ;  the  chief 
water-laden  winds  which  come  from  the  Pacific  strike  the 
range  of  mountains  along  the  eastern  coast,  and  the  cold 
air  squeezes  them  dry,  so  that  when  they  ])ass  over  the 
interior  of  the  continent  they  have  no  more  water  to  lose. 
As  a  result  the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountains  has  a  good 


14  AUSIKALIA 

rainfall,  and  there  \vc  find  numerous  rivers,  the  culti- 
vated lands,  the  large  cities,  and  most  of  the  people.  In 
that  part  of  Australia  are  located  the  great  dairying  and 
fruit  industries.  On  the  table-lands  and  western  plains 
are  some  of  the  greatest  sheep  and  cattle  runs  in  the 
world.  Much  of  the  interior,  although  dry,  is  extremely 
fertile,  and  is  enriched  by  occasional  monsoonal  rains. 
Much  of  the  western  plain  country,  formerly  used  for 
grazing  purposes,  is  now  profitably  employed  for  wheat 
production. 

Large  tracts  in  the  west  and  southwest  are  also  used 
for  cultivation  and  pasture,  but  the  middle  of  the  continent 
over  immense  areas  is  a  dreary  desert.  Some  of  it  is  as 
thirsty  as  Sahara,  having  vast  regions  of  rock  and  sand 
through  which  we  might  ride  for  miles  and  see  nothing 
but  dusty  scrub  and  bushes  covered  with  thorns,  where 
the  only  water  to  be  found  is  in  salt  marshes,  brackish 
lakes,  and  rock  holes. 

The  Australian  continent  now  belongs  to  the  British 
Empire.  The  English  claim  it  by  right  of  exploration  and 
.settlement,  having  seized  the  lands  and  driven  back  the 
black  aborigines,  until  they  now  hold  somewhat  the  same 
place  that  the  Indians  do  in  our  country. 

Australia  was  the  last  grand  division  of  the  earth  to 
be  visited  by  Europeans.  It  was  discovered  by  Portu- 
guese, Spanish,  and  Dutch  navigators,  but  it  was  not 
thought  to  be  of  any  value  until  Captain  James  Cook, 
the  great  English  explorer,  made  a  tour  along  the  east 
coast.  This  was  about  six  years  before  we  declared 
our  independence  of  England.  Captain  Cook  brought 
back    glowing    reports    of   the   richness   of    the    country, 


GENERAL   VIEW  OF   AUSTRALIA  1 5 

and  the  English  at  once  sent  out  and  took  possession 
of  it.  The  first  settlements  were  devoted  to  criminals 
who  worked  in  chains  guarded  by  soldiers ;  but  later  on, 
when  it  was  found  that  the  climate  was  good  and  the 
soil  fertile,  other  people  came  and  the  prison  settlements 
were  done  away  with. 

By  and  by  colonies  were  established  in  the  best  parts 
of  the  country.  They  grew  rapidly,  and  now  there  are 
white  people  living  in  all  of  the  habitable  regions. 

The  continent  is  divided  into  five  great  colonies  or  states 
and  one  territory.  Western  Austraha  comprises  the  whole 
western  portion  of  the  country,  with  Perth  as  its  capital. 
The  state  is  largely  a  desert,  but  is  rich  in  gold  and  other 
minerals,  and  has  extensive  jarrah  forests. 

South  Australia  takes  up  the  south  central  portion  of 
the  continent.  It  has  rich  lands  in  the  mountainous  south- 
eastern section,  but  much  of  the  northern  part  is  unfit  for 
cultivation.  Its  capital  is  Adelaide,  on  the  Torrens  River. 
North  of  this  state  is  the  Northern  Territory,  which  has  few 
inhabitants  except  the  native  aborigines. 

The  eastern  section  of  the  continent  is  divided  into  the 
three  states  of  Victoria,  New  South  Wales,  and  Queens- 
land. Victoria  at  the  south  is  very  rich  in  gold  and  in 
farm  and  pasture  lands.  Its  capital  is  the  city  of  Mel- 
bourne, and  it  has  many  other  large  towns.  New  South 
Wales,  just  to  the  north,  is  much  larger  than  Victoria  and 
is  also  exceedingly  rich.  Its  capital  is  Sydney,  the  prin- 
cipal port  of  Australia.  Queensland,  which  takes  up  the 
vast  country  still  farther  north,  includes  all  northeastern 
Australia.  It  is  a  land  of  pastures,  farms,  rich  mines,  and 
sugar  plantations.     Its  capital  is  Brisbane. 


l6  AUSTRALIA 

The  five  states  of  Australia,  together  with  Tasmania,  are 
now  united  in  the  Commonwealth  of  Australia.  This  part 
of  the  British  Empire  has  a  Governor-General  appointed  by 
the  Crown,  and  a  parliament  elected  by  the  people,  which 
makes  laws  for  the  Commonwealth.  The  parliament  is 
much  like  our  Congress  at  Washington.  Each  state  has  a 
parliament  of  its  own  which  is  similar  to  the  legislatures  of 
our  states.  The  Northern  Territory  is  under  the  control 
of  the  Commonwealth,  as  is  also  Papua,  or  British  New 
Guinea.  We  shall  learn  more  about  the  states  as  we  travel 
through  them,  imagining  ourselves  first  in  New  South 
Wales,  in  the  city  of  Sydney,  ready  to  start. 

2.  IN  SYDNEY,  THE  NEW  YORK  OF  AUS- 
TRALIA 
BEFORE  we  begin  our  exploration  of  Sydney,  let  us 
stop  a  moment  and  think  where  we  are.  We  are 
away  south  of  the  Equator  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe. 
It  was  winter  when  we  left  the  United  States.  It  is  sum- 
mer here  in  Australia.  Our  watches  are  all  wrong  and 
we  must  change  them  if  we  would  not  be  ever  calculating 
the  difference  of  time,  and  often  turning  night  into  day. 
Sydney  time  is  fifteen  hours  ahead  of  New  York  time, 
so  that  when  our  friends  in  the  United  States  are  going  to 
bed  on  Monday  night,  we  shall  be  sitting  down  to  lunch  on 
Tuesday  afternoon.  The  difference  will  be  less  in  Western 
Australia,  as  it  is  nearer  Greenwich,  from  which  our  time 
is  reckoned. 

It  took  us  twenty-one  days  to  come  from  .San  l^'rancisco 
lo  Sy due)'.     The  voyage  was  not  wearisome,  however,  for 


IN   SYDNEY,    THE   NEW   YORK   OF  AUSTRALIA  1 7 

the  racific  Ocean  was  in  a  (jiiict  mood  and  the  vvcalhcr 
was  fine  all  the  way.  It  was  a  little  cold  at  the  start,  but 
the  sun  grew  warmer  as  we  sailed  southward.  It  was 
so  warm  and  pleasant  at  Honolulu  that  we  packed  away 
our  overcoats,  and  a  few  days  afterward  came  out  in  our 
summer  clothes. 

A  little  later  we  crossed  the  Equator,  and  just  two 
weeks  after  leaving  San  Francisco  we  called  at  Uncle 
Sam's  Httle  island  of  Tutuila  (tob-too-e'la)  in  the  Samoan 
Group,  where  it  is  so  warm  that  many  of  our  brown 
cousins  wear  no  clothes  at  all.  Still  later  we  reached 
New  Zealand,  and  we  are  now  at  anchor  in  the  harbor 
of  Sydney  with  all  Australia  before  us. 

How  beautiful  everything  seems  after  our  long  voyage 
at  sea!  The  sky  is  bright  blue,  the  trees  and  the  grass  are 
the  greenest  of  green,  and  the  sunlight  is  dancing  on  the 
waves  of  the  harbor.  We  seem  to  be  in  a  winding  lake 
with  hundreds  of  bays,  inlets,  and  creeks.  The  lake  con- 
tains many  islands ;  wooded  hills  rise  in  some  places 
straight  up  from  the  shore,  and  in  others  the  mainland 
slopes  so  gently  that  a  great  city  has  been  built  upon  it. 

This  is  the  famed  harbor  of  Sydney,  which  the  Aus- 
tralians claim  to  be  the  finest  harbor  of  the  world.  Its 
entrance  is  The  Heads,  a  natural  gateway  about  a  mile 
wide  guarded  by  gigantic  rocks  as  high  as  the  highest 
church  steeple,  so  protecting  the  shipping  that,  no  mat- 
ter how  stormy  the  ocean  outside,  there  are  quiet  waters 
within.  The  harbor  is  so  deep  that  the  largest  ocean 
steamers  can  sail  close  up  to  the  land,  and  its  coast  line 
is  so  long  that  all  the  ships  of  all  the  world  could  anchor 
here  and  have  room  to  spare. 


i8 


AUSI  IvALIA 


See  that  big  steamer  al  the  iii;ht  of  t)ur  vessel.  That  is 
a  German  ship  of  ten  tliousand  tons  which  has  come  to 
Sydney  for  a  cargo  of  wool.  Ne.xt  to  it  is  a  French  vessel 
from  Marseilles,  and  farther  on  are  huge  steamers  from 
London  and  Liverpool  taking  on  and  putting  off  goods. 
There  are  ships  here  from  China  and  Japan,  ships  from 
the  Mediterranean,  and  from  India  and  Africa,  ships  from 


Circular  Quay,  Sydney  Harbor. 

South  America,  Canada,  and  the  United  States,  and  coast- 
ing steamers  which  do  business  with  Australia  and  all  the 
islands  of  the  southern  Pacific. 

The  harbor  is  such  that  the  ships  lie  at  anchor  in  the 
very  heart  of  the  city,  and  when  we  land  we  are  in  one  of 
the  chief  business  sections.  We  send  our  baggage  to  the 
hotel  and  start  out  for  a  walk. 

How  homelike  it  is !  The  buildings  remind  us  of  San 
Francisco,  save  that  they  are  not  quite  so  tall,  few  of  the 


IN   SYDNEY,   THE   NEW   YORK   OF   AUSTRALIA  1 9 

business  houses  having  more  than  six  stories.  Many  of 
the  best  blocks  are  of  sandstone  from  the  quarries  near 
the  city.  From  the  sandstone  so  conveniently  obtained, 
very  handsome  vi^arehouses  and  other  business  establish- 
ments are  erected. 

Notice  the  streets !  They  wind  about  this  way  and 
that.  They  are  as  crooked  as  those  of  Boston,  which, 
it  is  said,  were  laid  out  along  cow  paths.  Sydney  has 
such  winding  streets  that  the  people  of  other  Australian 
cities  say  it  was  planned  by  a  bullock  driver  who  stood 
at  the  harbor  and  threw  boomerangs  up  the  hills  and 
made  the  streets  along  the  lines  of  their  flight. 

Let  us  look  at  the  roadways  as  we  go  through  the  city. 
The  streets  are  paved  with  wooden  blocks  so  fitted  together 
that  they  seem  like  wood  carpeting.  They  are  so  hard 
and  smooth  that  one  horse  can  haul  a  load  of  three  tons, 
and  six-ton  loads  for  two  horses  are  not  uncommon.  The 
pavements  are  of  eucalyptus,  the  famous  Australian  hard- 
wood. The  continent  has  excellent  timber,  which  is  so 
good  for  pavements  and  railway  ties  that  it  is  in  great 
demand  in  other  countries. 

The  stores  have  plate  glass  windows  and  sometimes 
galvanized  iron  awnings  out  over  the  street  to  shield 
passers-by  from  the  sun.  Here  is  an  arcade,  a  street 
roofed  with  glass  and  walled  with  stores,  which  runs 
through  from  one  side  of  a  block  to  the  other.  Such 
arcades  are  common  in  the  Australian  cities.  The  people 
like  them,  for  they  can  walk  from  store  to  store,  keeping 
cool  and  dry  no  matter  how  hot  or  rainy  it  is  outside. 

See  the  goods  in  the  store  windows  !  The  price  tags 
are  English,  but  the  figures  are  in  pounds,  shillings,  and 


20 


AUSIRALIA 


pence,  and  we  have  difficulty  in  knowing  just  what  they 
mean.  The  Australians  use  English  money,  and  the 
pound  ($s),  the  shilling  (25  cents),  and  the  penny  equal 
to  about  two  of  our  cents,  will  be  our  money  during  our 

stay.  We  stop  at  a 
bank  to  exchange  our 
greenbacks  for  such 
gold,  silver,  and  copper, 
and  then  go  on  with 
our  walk. 

We  have  many  pur- 
chases to  make,  but 
hardly  know  just  where 
to  go.  The  signs  are 
different  from  ours. 
Here,  for  instance,  is 
one  "  Fellmonger." 
That  is   a  fur  store,  as 

•■  Here  .s  an  arcade.  ^^.^     ^^^     fj.^,^^     ^j^^     gj^jj^g 

of  foxes,  bears,  kangaroos,  antelopes,  duck  moles,  and  other 
animals  in  the  windows.  Hardware  merchants  are  known 
as  ironmongers,  and  those  who  sell  cloth  are  drapers.  If 
we  should  ask  for  a  dry  goods  store,  the  people  would 
think  we  meant  a  saloon,  for  "dry  goods"  is  the  term 
sometimes  here  used  for  liquors,  and  they  might  direct 
us  to  a  public  house,  as  saloons  are  called  in  Australia. 
IJruggists  arc  called  chemists  and  drug  stores  chemist 
shops.  Lumber  dealers  are  timber  merchants,  and  the 
lumberman  is  a  timber  getter. 

In   Australia  candies  arc  almost   always   called    sweets 
and    sometimes    "lollies,"    a    contraction   of    "lollypops," 


IN    SYDNEV,   THE   NEW    YORK   OF  AUSTRALIA  21 

an  English  word  meaning  taffy.  We  see  the  word  "  Li^l- 
lies  "  over  some  candy  stores;  and  at  the  theaters,  shows, 
and  football  games  boys  go  about  with  baskets  of  candy, 
crying  out,  "  Lollies,  ladies !  Lollies,  gents  !  Don't  you 
want  a  box  of  fine  fresh  lollies  ? " 

Suppose  we  stop  a  moment  and  look  at  the  people. 
They  have  faces  like  ours,  and  we  may  well  call  them  our 
brothers,  for  they  came  from  England,  which  most  of  us 
consider  our  mother  country.  The  Australians,  however, 
are  taller  than  either  the  Americans  or  the  English.  See 
that  man  passing  by.  He  is  more  than  six  feet  in  height, 
and  the  woman  with  him  is  almost  as  tall.  These  people 
grow  so  thin  that,  in  fun,  they  are  sometimes  called  corn- 
stalks because  they  are  so  tall. 

The  people  are  well  dressed.  Even  the  men  who  are 
mending  that  sidewalk  wear  good  clothing.  They  look 
more  Hke  American  workmen  than  like  the  poorer  work- 
ing people  of  Europe.  Australia  is  a  new  country  and, 
as  there  is  much  to  do,  wages  are  high.  The  people 
make  money  and  spend  it  quite  freely.  We  can  see  this 
by  the  costly  goods  in  the  store  windows.  Everything 
one  can  think  of  is  displayed  here,  no  matter  in  what  part 
of  the  world  it  is  made.  The  Australian  will  pay  for  the 
best,  and  so  all  countries  send  their  goods  here  for  sale. 

We  get  some  idea  of  the  enormous  commerce  by  the 
shipping  in  the  harbor,  and  learn  more  of  it  as  we  see 
the  long  Unes  of  teams  hauling  freight  through  the  streets. 
Vast  quantities  of  goods  are  always  coming  in  and  going 
out. 

Here  we  are  at  the  Post  and  Telegraph  Office.  You 
can  see  the  red-coated  postmen  starting  out  on  their  routes. 


22  Al'SIKAI.lA 

TIkmc  arc  rcdcoatctl  men  takini;  the  bags  of  mail  Irom 
red  wui^oiis  which  have  just  come  from  our  steamer,  aiul 
other  red  \vai;ons  dash  past  us  on  their  way  to  the  trains. 

The  Post  Office  has  many  branches.  We  can  see  the 
sij^ns  over  the  doors.  There  is  a  postal  savings  bank,  and 
next  door  are  telegraph  and  telephone  departments.  All 
such  things  are  under  the  government,  the  Australians 
believing  that  they  should  be  managed  at  the  lowest  pos- 
sible cost  for  the  people.  The  government  controls  the 
railroads,  and  also  owns  the  street  cars  in  many  of  tlie 
cities,  and  gives  quite  a  long  ride  for  two  cents. 

That  great  building  up  the  street  is  the  town  hall,  where 
the  maN'or  and  other  city  officials  ha\-c  their  offices.  It 
also  contains  an  audience  room  for  public  amusements, 
where  every  week  one  can  attend  a  concert  free  of  charge. 
The  city  keejis  an  organist  to  ])lay  for  the  people,  and  it 
owns  one  of  tlie  largest  organs  of  the  world.  The  organ 
has  nine  thousand  pipes,  some  as  high  as  a  three-story 
house  and  some  as  short  as  a  pin  and  almost  as  small.  In 
other  cities  we  shall  find  similar  halls,  Melbourne  having 
one  with  an  oi-gan  that  cost  thirty-five  thousand  dollars. 

There  g(jes  a  ])art)'  of  boys  in  uniforms  with  flat  bats 
in  their  hands.  One  is  throwing  up  a  ball  and  catching 
it  as  he  runs.  That  is  one  of  the  cricket  clubs  of  Sydney, 
and  its  members  are  on  their  way  to  play  a  match  with 
the  crack  team  of  Melbourne.  Let  us  follow  and  have 
a  look  at  the  game.  We  find  thousands  of  people  at  the 
playground.  There  are  other  clubs  playing  in  different 
jjarts  of  the  field,  and  as  we  go  from  one  to  another  we 
hear  nothing  but  talk  about  sports. 

The  Australians  are  a  sporting  people,  and  almost  every 


TV    SYDXKV,    TIIK    NFAV    YORK    ( »l      Al'^' Ik  A  1.1  A 


"That  great  building  is  the  town  hall." 

man,  woman,  and  child  gives  a  part  of  each  week  to 
play.  Sydney  has  several  thou.sand  acres  of  parks  devoted 
to  public  amusements,  and  in  Melbourne  alone  there  are 
one  hundred  parks  and  a  dozen  grounds  especially  for 
football  and  cricket.  Cricket  is  the  favorite  game  here. 
It  holds  about  the  same  place  that  baseball  does  with  us. 

Coming  back  to  the  city,  we  visit  the  Domain,  a  park 
of  about  one  hundred  acres  right  in  the  heart  of  Sydney, 
facing  the  harbor.  It  is  the  most  popular  of  all  pleasure 
grounds  here,  being  especially  full  upon  Sundays,  when 
any  one  who  wishes  can  speak  upon  any  subject  if  he 
can  get  the  people  to  listen.  There  are  no  signs  warning 
us  to  keep  off  the  grass,  and  we  roll  over  and  over  on 
the  sod,  rejoicing  that  our  travels  south  of  the  Equator 
have  turned  winter  to  summer,  and  that  all  is  so  fresh 
and  green  M-hen  the  snow  covers  the  earth  at  our  home. 

OUR    COLONIES  —  2 


24  AUS'l  KALIA 


3.     SIIKKP   AND   WOOL   IN   AUSTRALIA 

Tl  1 1'-  annual  sheep  show  is  goini;  on  in  Sydney.  The  city 
is  full  of  squatters,  as  sheep  farmers  are  called,  and 
we  can  see  sheep  from  all  parts  of  the  continent  and  from 
Tasmania  and  New  Zealand  as  well.  Sheep  so  thrive  in 
this  latitude  that  Australasia,  made  up  of  Australia  and  its 
neighboring  islands,  is  one  of  the  best  sheep-rearing  places 
upon  earth.  The  two  great  sheep-rearing  centers  of  the 
world  are  situated  at  about  the  same  distance  south  of  the 
Equator.  Look  on  your  niaj)  and  you  will  see  where  they 
are.  On  one  side  of  the  globe  is  Australasia  and  on  the 
other  Argentina  in  South  America.  Argentina  has  a  cli- 
mate much  like  that  of  Australia,  and  it  vies  with  it  in  fine 
sheep  and  wool. 

Sheep  farming  is  carried  on  in  almost  every  settled  part 
of  the  continent.  Some  of  the  stations,  as  such  farms  are 
called,  are  so  large  that  it  would  take  us  several  days  to 
ride  around  one  on  horseback,  and  a  single  field  often  con- 
tains eight  hundred  acres,  or  more  than  five  ordinary 
American  farms. 

One  hundred  sheep  is  quite  a  large  flock  in  ])arts  of 
our  country.  In  New  South  Wales  there  are  several  men 
who  each  own  one  hundred  thousand  sheep,  and  one  who 
has  more  than  one  million,  or  enough,  supposing  each 
sheep  to  weigh  one  hundred  pounds,  to  give  a  slice  of 
mutton  to  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  our  country 
and  leave  plenty  over  for  a  stew  for  our  whole  nation  next 
day. 

Australasia  has  had  at  times  one  hundred  million  sheep, 


SHEEP   AND    WOOL    IN    AUSTRALIA 


25 


SO  many  that  if  they  could  be  driven  four  abreast  along 
the  Equator,  they  would  form  a  woolen  belt  about  the 
waist  of  old  Mother  Earth  ;  or,  if  shorn,  would  furnish 
sufBcient  wool  to  make  a  suit  of  clothes  for  every  one  of 
her  American  children,  with  many  fragments  for  patches. 


'A  woolen  belt  about  the  waist  of  old  Mother  Earth  " 

This  great  industry  has  grown  up  since  the  continent 
was  discovered.  There  were  no  sheep  here  when  Captain 
Cook  landed,  but  shortly  after  settlements  were  established, 
some  Sjianish  merinos  were  brought  in.  They  did  well 
and  formed  the  start  for  the  immense  flocks  of  to-day. 


26 


AUSTRALIA 


Suppose  \vc  lake  llic  cais  lor  the  Ai^ricullural  rirounds 
where  tlic  sheej)  show  is  held.  We  hear  the  bleating 
and  baaing  before  we  reaeh  there,  and  we  follow  the 
sound. 

We  eonie  at  last  to  a  great  building  whose  floor  is 
divided    up   into   pens    so   built   along    aisles    that    we   ean 


Part  of  a  flock  of  twenty  thousand  sheep. 

easily  go  to  anv  part  of  it.  There  are  seven  hundred 
sheep  in  the  building,  and  eaeh  has  its  own  pen  well 
bedded  with  straw.  Some  of  the  animals  have  blue  or 
red  ribbons  about  their  necks.  They  are  the  ones  that 
have  taken  the  prizes. 

What  fine  sheep  they  are  !  I  venture  to  say  you  never 
saw  so  much  wool  on  animals  before.  Take  this  prize 
ram  !     Don't  be  afraid  he  will  butt  vou  !     He  is  a  gentle- 


SIlEF.r    AND    wool,    IN    AUSl'RALIA  2/ 

man  of  distinguished  aiK'cst.r\',  noted  for  his  Hnc  breeding, 
and  has  been  so  kindly  handled  that  he  is  perfectly  safe. 
Were  it  not  for  his  horns,  his  nose,  and  his  feet,  we  might 
think  him  merely  a  bundle  of  wool.  His  fleece  lies  upon 
him  in  rolls  and  folds,  the  skin  apparently  wrinkling  to 
make  it  hold  more.  It  is  so  long  and  thick  on  his  head 
that  we  see  only  the  tips  of  his  ears ;  his  eyes  are  far  back 
of  those  holes  in  the  wool.  The  fleece  hangs  down  from 
the  under  parts  of  the  body,  covering  the  legs  clear  to  the 
hoofs.  We  poke  our  fingers  into  the  wool.  We  can  not 
reach  the  skin  without  pressing  the  knuckles  far  in. 
How  greasy  it  feels !  It  is  dirty  and  gray  outside,  but 
when  we  pull  it  apart  it  is  the  color  of  cream.  This  sheep 
has  more  than  forty  pounds  of  wool  on  him,  and  his  owner 
would  not  sell  him  for  three  thousand  dollars. 

The  common  sheep  of  Australia,  however,  have  only 
a  very  few  pounds  of  wool,  often  not  more  than  five  or 
six.  They  can  be  bought  for  about  the  same  prices  that 
such  sheep  bring  in  our  country.  We  can  easily  see 
what  a  difference  it  makes  if  each  sheep  yields  much 
wool  or  little.  Take,  for  instance,  that  squatter  over  there 
who  has  fifty  thousand  sheep.  If  each  of  his  flock  can 
be  made  to  yield  one  pound  more  at  a  shearing,  he  will 
have  fifty  thousand  pounds  more  wool  to  sell  every  year ; 
so  you  see  how  important  it  is  to  have  good  sheep,  and 
why  the  people  pay  so  much  for  them. 

Leaving  the  sheep  show,  we  visit  one  of  the  warehouses 
of  Sydney,  where  the  wool  is  brought  in  from  the  coun- 
try to  be  shipped  off  to  Europe.  It  is  on  the  edge  of  the 
harbor  and  of  easy  access  to  the  ships.  We  go  from  floor 
to  fioor  of  the  vast  building,  making  our  way  in  and  out 


28 


AUSTRALIA 


tlii(iuj;Ii  the  wool,  wliiili  is  sloicd  here  by  the  tlKtiisaiuls 
of  bales.  Each  bale  is  about  as  hij;h  as  our  heads.  It  is 
wrapped  in  yellow  bagging  and  weighs  about  three  hun- 
dred and  ninety  pounds. 

Some  of  the  bales  have  been  opened,  and  the  white  wool 
seems  to  be  pouring  out  upon   the   floor.     Each   bale   is 


In  a  wool  warehouse. 

marked  with  the  name  of  the  station  from  which  it  comes. 
In  some  places  men  arc  tearing  the  bales  apart  and  sort- 
ing the  wool,  and  in  others  buyers  are  examining  the  piles 
in  order  to  make  bids  upon  them.  Each  buyer  takes  up 
the  wool  in  his  hands  and  pulls  it  apart.  We  do  likewise 
and  then  throw  the  stuff  back  on  the  pile.  How  dirty 
it  is !  Our  hands  shine  as  though  coated  with  vaseline, 
and  our  cuffs  are  soiled  with  the  grease.     The  sheep  are 


SHEEP  AND   WOOL   IN   AUSTRALIA  29 

not  always  washed  before  shearing,  but  the  wool  is  fre- 
quently scoured  before  shipping. 

We  ask  one  of  the  buyers,  a  man  dressed  in  overalls 
and  a  long  linen  coat  buttoned  tight  up  the  front,  what 
the  wool  brings.  He  replies  that  the  price  varies  accord- 
ing to  the  grade,  quality,  and  state  of  the  market.  He 
shows  us  that  it  makes  a  difference  also  from  what  part 
of  the  sheep  the  wool  comes,  some  bales  being  composed 
only  of  the  shearings  of  the  legs  and  tails,  while  others 
come  from  the  sides  and  under  parts  of  the  body.  Fine 
wool  brings  twice  as  much  as  coarse  wool,  and  it  takes 
an  expert  to  know  just  what  is  best. 

After  the  wool  is  sold,  it  is  exported  to  Europe  in 
steamships  and  sailing  vessels.  The  sailing  vessels  go 
around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  while  the  steamers  usu- 
ally pass  through  the  Suez  Canal.  The  shortest  distance 
from  Australia  to  the  European  markets  is  about  eleven 
thousand  miles,  and  the  freight  rate  for  carrying  wool 
there  is  sometimes  as  low  as  one  fourth  of  a  cent  per 
pound.  It  takes  less  than  four  pounds  of  wool  to  make 
a  suit  of  clothes  for  a  man,  so  that  for  one  cent  the  ships 
carry  enough  wool  for  a  suit  from  Australia  to  London. 
This  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  commerce. 

Let  us  go  out  in  the  country  for  a  look  at  the  sheep  in 
the  fields.  One  of  the  principal  squatters  has  asked  us  to 
visit  his  station,  and  we  gladly  accept  the  invitation.  We 
leave  in  the  evening  and  ride  all  night  on  the  cars.  When 
we  awake  we  are  passing  through  great  pasture  fields,  some 
containing  large  droves  of  cattle  and  others  thousands  of 
sheep.  Now  and  then  we  go  by  fields  of  wheat,  rye, 
barley,  or  oats,  ur  through  forests  of  eucalyptus  and  other 


30 


AUSTRALIA 


Aup.tralian  trees;  but  nearly  ever\\vhere  there  are  sheep, 
sheep,  sheep!  We  sec  single  floeks  which  contain  as 
many  as  two  thousand  animals,  and  at  one  place  ride  sev- 
eral miles  by  a  drove  of  sheep  on  its  way  from  one  station 
to  another. 

There  are  but  few  farm  buildings,  and  no  great  barns 
such  as  we  have  in  our  north  central  states.     The  weather 


Scne  on  a  station. 

is  so  mild  that  the  grass  is  good  all  the  year  roiuid  and 
the  sheep  need  no  other  food.  They  require  no  shelter, 
living  out  in  the  fields  from  one  year's  end  to  the  other. 
The  houses  we  see  are  chiefly  one-story  structures,  painted 
yellow  and  roofed  with  galvanized  iron.  Some  of  them 
have  iron  chimneys,  and  nearly  all  have  iron  tanks  on 
their  porches  to  catch  the  rain  water  as  it  comes  from 
the  roofs.  Australia  is  a  dry  country,  and  in  many  places 
every  drop  of  water  that  can  be  so  caught  is  saved. 

At  last  we  reach  the  end  of  our  railroad  journey,  where 
we  find  riding  horses  which  take  us  across  the  country  to 
iiur  sciuatter  friend's  home.    It  is  a  big  building  with  many 


SHEEP   AND    WOOL   IN   AUSTRALIA  3 1 

smaller  ones  about  it.  Some  of  them  are  offices,  stores, 
blacksmith  and  carpenter  shops,  and  the  others  are  the 
homes  of  the  men. 

It  takes  a  large  number  of  employees  to  run  such  a 
station,  and  the  home  settlement  is  almost  a  village.  The 
house  of  the  squatter  is  a  one-story  building,  roofed  with 
iron,  with  many  rooms  opening  out  upon  porches,  with  a 
large  parlor  and  all  the  surroundings  and  furniture  of 
a  comfortable  home.  There  is  a  cricket  ground  at  one 
side  of  it  and  grounds  for  croquet  and  golf. 

There  are  also  great  stables  with  horses  for  pleasure 
and  work.  The  station  is  miles  in  extent,  and  almost 
every  man  on  it  has  a  horse.  The  sheep  are  kept  in 
fenced  fields  and  hence  do  not  need  shepherds,  as  our 
great  flocks  on  the  Rocky  Mountain  plateaus  do  ;  but  it  is 
necessary  to  have  boundary  riders,  men  who  go  about  the 
fields  every  few  days  to  see  that  the  fences  are  up  and 
that  the  sheep  are  all  right  and  that  they  have  plenty  of 
water. 

We  spend  some  time  at  the  station,  going  about  with 
the  squatter  and  the  men,  learning  much  about  sheep  and 
wool  raising.  We  see  them  shear  sheep  at  a  neighboring 
farm  forty  miles  off.  A  large  gang  of  men  does  the  work, 
cutting  off  the  wool  so  fast  that  one  man  shears  one  hun- 
dred or  more  sheep  in  a  day.  The  men  are  paid  about 
five  cents  for  each  sheep,  and  their  earnings  depend  on 
the  number  they  shear. 

When  the  sheep  come  into  the  hands  of  the  shearers 
they  look  fat  and  gray,  but  when  shorn  they  seem  to  have 
shrunk  and  their  coats  are  snow-white. 

At  another  place  we  .see  men   shearing  sheep  bv  ma- 


32 


AUSTRALIA 


chinery  worked  by  steam  or  electricity.  The  cutting  is 
done  by  little  knives  moving  back  and  forth  like  the  knives 
of  a  mowing  machine.  The  knives  are  in  a  frame  which 
is  pressed  against  the  wool,  cutting  it  more  easily  and 
smoothly  than  by  hand.  The  power  is  communicated  by  a 
tube  like  that  which  the  dentist  uses  for  drilline;  out  teeth. 


Shearing  sheep  by  machinery. 

While  the  shearing  is  going  on,  men  take  the  wool  and 
sort  it.  They  pack  it  in  bales  and  load  it  on  wagons, 
which  are  hauled  by  long  teams  of  horses  or  o.xen  to  the 
cars.  In  Western  and  South  Australia  camels  are  often 
used  to  carry  the  wool,  two  bales  of  wool  forming  a  load 
for  one  camel. 

We  arc  delighted  with  our  lite  at  the  station.  We 
thought   it   would   be  tame  so  far  off   in   the  coimtry,  but 


SIIEEr   AND    WOOL    IN    AUSTRALIA 


33 


A  load  of  wool. 

with  riding  and  driving  and  games,  every  moment  is 
filled.  The  squatter's  boys  think  nothing  of  going  off  ten 
miles  to  play  cricket,  and  his  girls  often  ride  twice  as  far 
to  a  party  or  to  spend  the  night  with  a  neighbor.  They 
have  their  teachers  at  home,  and  their  life  seems  very  easy. 
We  must  remember,  however,  that  this  is  one  of  the 
richest  of  the  sheep  farmers  and  that  his  lands  are  among 
the  best  in  Australia.  The  smaller  farmers  often  have  as 
hard  times  as  our  small  farmers  at  home.  All  suffer 
when  the  weather  is  dry,  some  parts  of  the  continent 
being  subject  to  frequent  droughts,  during  which  the 
sheep  die  by  thousands  for  lack  of  water  and  food.  The 
droughts  clear  the  land  of  everything  green.  The  pastures 
become  as  bare  as  a  road,  and  the  sheep  stagger  about, 
nosing  in  the  dust  for  the  seeds  of    grasses   and   trees. 


34  AUSTRALIA 

'llicir  owners  often  ha\c  lo  sil  ami  watch  them  die,  know- 
ing" they  can  get  nothing  to  teed  them.  'I'he  poor  squatters 
sometimes  go  crazy  because  the  rain  fails  to  come. 

In  some  districts  the  e\ils  of  the  ch'oughts  are  avoided 
by  artesian  wells  which  are  being  made  by  the  govern- 
ment in  many  parts  of  the  continent,  where,  although  the 
surface  of  the  land  is  almost  a  desert,  vast  reservoirs  of 
water  are  found  far  below.  Some  wells  are  several  thou- 
sand feet  deep,  a  single  one  often  flowing  a  million  and 
some  more  than  a  million  gallons  of  water  a  day.  The 
water  is  often  hot  when  it  comes  forth,  but  it  soon  cools. 
It  is  a  little  saltv,  but  the  sheep  drink  it  and  thrive  on  it. 

Another  great  enemy  of  the  sheep  is  the  rabbit,  which 
is  found  in  vast  nimibers  in  many  parts  of  Australia.  These 
little  animals  cat  the  grass  required  for  the  sheep.  Men 
are  kept  to  do  nothing  else  but  hunt  and  trap  rabbits, 
a  single  man  sometimes  killing  four  hundred  in  a  day. 
Many  sheep  farms  have  fences  of  wire  netting  about 
them  to  kec|i  out  these  pests,  and  some  of  the  states 
have  built  lumdrctls  of  miles  of  rabbit-proof  fences  along 
their  borders. 


4.     SOUTH    AUSTRALIA   AND   THE   GREAT 
CENTRAL    DESERT  — ADELAIDE 

WE  have  returned  to  Sydney  and  are  now  on  our  way 
to  Adelaide,  the  caj^ital  of  South  Australia.  The 
trip  is  a  long  one,  but  we  have  sleej)ing  cars  and  can  spend 
day  and  night  comfortably  in  the  train.  The  weather 
is  warm,  and  the  dust  makes  us  thirsty.     We  ask  for  a 


SOUTH   AUSTRALIA  35 

drink,  and  are  told  to  go  to  the  water  bag  on  the  platform 
of  the  rear  car.  Some  of  the  Australian  cars  carry  no  ice, 
but  instead  have  canvas  bags  about  two  feet  square  filled 
with  water,  so  hung  on  the  platform  outside  that  the  wind 
strikes  their  wet  surface,  keeping  them  cool.  There  is  a 
spigot  at  the  bottom  of  each  bag  to  which  a  tin  cup  is 
fastened.  Such  water  bags  are  often  used  in  Australia, 
forming  the  cooler  of  many  a  home.  When  a  man  takes 
a  long  trip  over  the  desert,  he  ties  a  water  bag  under  his 
wagon  or  carriage,  and  if  the  wind  is  blowing,  no  matter 
how  warm  the  weather,  he  is  sure  of  a  cool  drink  on  the 
way.  The  canvas  is  so  closely  woven  that  the  water  does 
not  run  through. 

We  start  from  Sydney  at  night,  and  in  the  morning 
cross  the  Murray  River,  which  forms  the  boundary  be- 
tween New  South  Wales  and  Victoria.  The  Murray  is 
seventeen  hundred  miles  long.  It  is  the  largest  river  of 
Australia,  and  with  its  tributaries  drains  the  western  sides 
of  the  mountains  along  the  east  coast.  It  is  a  sluggish 
stream,  navigable  for  small  steamers  as  far  northeast  as 
Albury,  the  place  where  we  cross.  The  waters  are  dark,  but 
they  are  fringed  with  trees  ;  and  as  the  river  winds  about 
in  its  course,  the  Australians  think  it  quite  picturesque. 

After  leaving  the  border  town  of  Albury  on  the  Murray, 
we  do  not  see  that  river  again  until  we  have  crossed  the 
whole  of  Victoria  and  traveled  about  a  hundred  miles 
through  South  Australia.  The  trip  is  dehghtful.  The 
country  is  hilly,  but  there  are  fine  farms  on  which  are 
great  herds  of  cattle  and  thousands  of  sheep. 

Victoria  is  the  smallest  of  all  the  Australian  states.  It 
is  only  a  little  larger  than  Kansas,  but  in  proportion  to  its 


36  AUSTRALIA 

size  it  is  far  richer  than  any  other  state  of  the  common- 
wealth. Nearly  all  of  it  can  be  used  for  farming  or  graz- 
ing, and  about  one  half  of  it  has  gold,  silver,  or  other 
minerals.  It  is  better  settled  than  other  parts  of  Aus- 
tralia, and  we  pass  through  many  fme  towns  on  our  way 
to  Adelaide. 

Adelaide  is  the  capital  of  South  Australia.  By  this  you 
must  not  think  that  it  is  the  capital  of  all  southern  Australia, 
for  Victoria,  New  South  Wales,  and  the  southern  part  of 
Western  Australia  are  as  much  in  southern  Australia  as  this 
state.  South  Australia  includes  only  the  south  central  portion 
of  the  continent,  comprising  about  one  eighth  of  Australia. 

A  great  part  of  South  Australia  is  desert,  as  is  also  most 
of  the  Northern  Territory  which  lies  to  the  north  of  it.  The 
Northern  Territory  formerly  belonged  to  South  Australia, 
but  in  191 1  it  was  transferred  to  the  control  of  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Australia.  In  the  great  central  basin  of  the 
continent  there  is  no  water  except  in  the  salt  marshes, 
blind  creeks,  and  rock  holes  occasionally  met  with.  In 
this  region  Australian  explorers  encountered  great  hard- 
ships in  their  attempts  to  cross  the  continent. 

Our  Great  Lake  Region  is  one  of  rich  farms,  fine  for- 
ests, and  valuable  mines.  It  is  surrounded  by  cities  and 
villages,  and  peopled  by  millions  of  happy  men,  women, 
and  children.  The  great  lake  region  of  Australia  is  far 
different.  It  has  no  inhabitants  and  no  vegetation  of 
value.  It  belongs  to  the  Australian  Desert,  one  of  the 
bleakest,  dreariest,  and  most  horrible  parts  of  the  globe. 
The  great  lakes  here,  such  as  Lake  Torrens,  Lake  Gaird- 
ner,  and  Lake  Eyre,  arc  all  salt.  They  arc  surrounded 
by  flats  of  treacherous  mud  which  have  a  salt  crust  over 


SOUTH    AUSTRALIA 


37 


them  so  lluil  Lhcy  make  your  eyes  sore  lo  k)ok  at  them. 
Lake  Eyre  is  so  dreary  that  it  has  been  called  the  "  Dead 
Sea  of  AustraUa." 

The  country  about  the  lakes  and  on  and  on  everywhere 
to  the  north  and  west  of  them  is  as  thirsty  as  the  Sahara. 
The  greater  part  of  the  soil  is  composed  of  gray  sand 
upon  which  the  sun  beats  almost  straight  down  for  hours 


A  squatter's  home  near  Adelaide. 

every  day  during  the  hot  parts  of  the  year.  Much  of  the 
sand  is  dotted  with  bunches  of  spinifex  grass,  which  would 
tear  our  clothes  if  we  tried  to  make  our  way  through  them, 
but  would  not  shield  us  from  the  burning  sun.  In  places 
the  sand  has  drifted  into  hills  and  ridges,  in  which  our 
feet  and  those  of  our  horses  or  camels  would  sink  as  we 
crossed  them.  In  other  regions  we  should  run  into  por- 
cupine grass,  each  bunch   of  which   is   like  a   huge   pin- 


6947b 


38  AL'SIKAI.I.V 

cushion  with  shari)  knitting  needles  sticking  out  on  all 
sides.  There  are  vast  tracts  covered  with  low  trees,  and 
also  bleak  and  bare  mountai^is  and  sandy  plains  filled 
with  i)ink,  grav,  and  purple  bowlders  which  seem  red  hot 
under  the  sun. 

This  desert  is  perhai')s  the  dryest  region  on  the  face  of 
the  globe,  and  explorers  who  have  made  their  way  through 
it  have  brought  back  strange  stories  of  its  terrible  heat. 
Captain  Sturt,  who  visited  it  some  years  ago,  says  that  the 
mercury  rose  in  his  thermometer  until  it  broke  the  tube, 
and  that  for  three  months  it  was  more  than  one  hundred 
degrees  in  the  shade.  It  was  so  hot  that  his  hair  stopped 
growing,  the  ink  dried  on  his  pen  when  he  tried  to  write, 
his  comb  split  up  into  hairs,  his  finger  nails  became  as 
brittle  as  glass,  and  the  wood  shrank  so  frotn  the  heat  that 
the  screws  dropped  out  of  his  boxes  and  the  lead  became 
loose  in  his  pencils. 

This  region  is  so  vast  that  we  can  not  describe  it  in  detail. 
We  could  go  northward  or  westward  for  months  if  we  had 
any  means  of  sustaining  life,  but  day  after  day  we  should 
find  only  this  same  hot,  thirsty  land  which  is  one  of  the 
driest  regions  on  earth.  But  at  times,  except  in  the 
incurable  desert  region,  good  rains  fall  and  vegetation  is 
luxuriant.  Pastoral  settlement  is  gradually  pushing  out 
into  the  area  of  scanty  rainfall. 

The  region  near  the  Murray  River  where  we  are  now  is 
as  beautiful  as  any  we  have  seen  in  Australia,  and  the  land 
is  exceedingly  rich.  Adelaide  is  surrounded  by  good  farms, 
gardens,  and  vineyards.  It  is  a  thriving  city,  and  its  people 
say  that  it  is  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  towns  south  of 
the  Equator  or,  as  they  say,  "south  of  the  Line."     It  is 


COI.I)    MlNlNc;    IN    AUSTRALIA  39 

sometimes  called  the  "White  City"  from  the  white  stone 
which  is  used  for  its  buildings. 

Adelaide  lies  on  the  river  Torrens  about  six  miles  by 
rail  from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Vincent,  an  excellent  harbor. 
We  stroll  along  King  William  Street,  passing  the  mag- 
nificent public  buildings  of  the  city  and  state,  walk 
through  Rundle  and  Hindley  streets,  the  chief  business 
thoroughfares,  and  later  on  take  a  drive  to  the  top  of 
Mount  Lofty  for  a  view  of  the  city  and  country  about. 
On  every  side  of  us  there  are  fine  farms,  gardens,  orchards, 
and  vineyards.  There  are  rich  pastures  with  cattle  and 
sheep  feeding  upon  them,  and  in  the  center  the  white  city 
of  Adelaide  with  the  Torrens  running  on  by  it  until  it  is 
lost  in  the  sea  in  the  distance.  It  is  a  beautiful  view,  and 
we  do  not  wonder  that  the  Australians  are  proud  of  this 
part  of  their  territory. 

We  drive  through  farms  on  our  way  back  to  the  city,  and 
at  the  public  departments  learn  that  South  Australia  has 
some  other  rich  lands  in  the  far  north.  Just  now  we  wish 
to  see  more  of  Victoria,  and  we  take  the  cars  through  that 
state  to  the  town  of  Ballarat  in  the  gold-mining  regions. 

5.     GOLD   MINING    IN    AUSTRALIA —  BALLA- 
RAT—MELBOURNE 

HOW  would  you  Hke  to  find  a  gold  nugget  as  big  as  a 
football  and  weighing  as  much  as  yourself  ?  Several 
such  lumps  have  been  found  near  Ballarat  where  we  now 
are,  and  who  can  tell-  what  we  may  see  if  we  wander  about 
through  the  hills  ? 

OUR   COLONIES  —  3 


40  AUSTRALIA 

Tlic  earth  of  uboiit  one  hall,  of  X'irloria  loiilaiiis  more 
or  less  gold,  and  from  this  miinng  region  alone  has  come 
gold  to  the  amount  of  three  hundred  million  dollars. 

Ballarat  was  the  birthplace  of  the  mining  industry  of 
Australia.  Gold  in  paying  quantities  was  first  found  in 
New  South  Wales  shortly  after  its  discovery  in  California, 
but  the  product  was  small,  and  it  was  not  until  some  of 
these  big  lumps  were  unearthed  near  Ballarat  that  people 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  flocked  here  to  dig.  They 
came  by  sea  to  Melbourne  and  thence  inland  to  Ballarat. 
There  were  so  many  that  Melbourne  soon  grew  to  be  a 
rich  city,  its  wealth  of  to-day  starting  from  the  discovery 
of  gold. 

The  first  gold  found  was  in  loose  veins  and  dust  in  the 
bottom  of  the  streams  and  along  their  banks.  Then  a 
nugget  was  unearthed  that  weighed  ninety-eight  pounds, 
and  then  another  still  larger.  Later  on  came  the  famous 
Welcome  nugget,  which  weighed  over  one  hundred  and 
eighty-four  pounds  and  which  sold  in  Melbourne  for  fifty 
thousand  dollars;  and  later  still  the  Welcome  Stranger,  the 
biggest  of  all. 

Do  you  wonder  that  the  miners  became  almost  crazy  . 
over  these  discoveries .-'  They  dug  up  the  earth  and ' 
washed  it  again  and  again  to  get  out  the  gold,  so  that 
every  bit  of  dirt  over  which  we  are  walking  this  morning 
has  been  handled  over  and  over.  As  the  loose  gold  gave 
out,  the  miners  dug  deeper  and  deeper.  They  found  veins 
of  the  precious  metal  away  down  under  the  earth,  and 
great  works  were  put  up  to  hoist  the  gold-bearing  rock  to 
the  surface  and  crush  it.  Some  of  the  mines  are  now 
almost  half  a  mile  deep  and  are  still  yielding  gold. 


-  GOLD   MINING   IN   AUSTRALIA  4 1 

Soon  after  the  big  nuggets  were  found,  rich  mining 
camps  sprang  up  not  only  in  Victoria  but  in  New  South 
Wales.  Then  gold  was  discovered  in  Queensland  and 
later  in  Western  Australia,  South  Australia,  Tasmania, 
and  New  Zealand,  until  to-day  there  is  not  a  state  of 
Australasia  which  does  not  produce  some  gold. 

Mount  Morgan,  a  mountain  of  iron  mixed  with  gold, 
near  the  coast  of  Queensland,  is  said  to  be  the  richest  gold 
mine  of  the  world,  and  about  the  town  of  Gympie,  some 
distance  off,  there  is  so  much  gold  in  the  earth  that  the 
boys  sometimes  find  the  yellow  grains  in  the  gutters  after 
a  rain.  There  are  more  than  two  thousand  gold  mines  in 
Queensland  alone,  and  also  rich  deposits  of  tin,  iron,  cop- 
per, and  lead.  The  tin  is  found  mixed  with  the  sand  of 
the  streams,  the  grains  looking  very  like  the  iron  filings  of 
a  machine  shop  or  smithy. 

In  Western  Australia  the  best  gold  fields  are  in  the 
desert.  Camels  are  used  by  the  prospectors,  and  supplies 
of  food  and  water  are  carried  from  one  place  to  another  by 
caravans.  There  are  parts  of  Western  Australia  where  we 
might  travel  for  hundreds  of  miles  over  nothing  but  rock 
and  sand,  but  the  rock  and  sand  would  be  more  or  less 
mixed  with  gold. 

Australia  is  a  wonderful  continent.  It  is  rich  in  min- 
erals and  other  resources,  but  parts  of  it  are  so  little  known 
that  we  can  not  tell  just  how  rich  it  is.  It  already  vies 
with  North  America  and  Africa  as  the  greatest  of  the 
world's  gold  producers,  and  it  has  vast  beds  of  coal  north, 
south,  and  west  of  Sydney  which  supply  most  of  the  ships 
of  the  southern  Pacific  Ocean. 

Let  us  go  on  with  our  trip  about  Ballarat.     We  enter 


42 


AUSTRALIA 


mine  after  mine,  now  descending  the  shafts  and  climbing 
through  tunnels  over  rocks  away  down  underground,  now 
watching  the  heavy  stamps  crush  the  ore  to  a  powder 
to  get  the  gold  out,  and  then  visiting  the  furnaces  from 
which  flow  the  ricli  yellow  streams  into  the  molds,  form- 
ing: the  ffold  bricks  of  commerce. 


Placer  mining  near  Ballarat. 

How  would  you  like  to  attend  school  in  a  mine  ?  This 
is  what  is  done  in  the  mining  college  at  Ballarat.  The 
college  has  a  mine  beneath  it,  worked  by  the  pupils  under 
the  eyes  of  their  teachers.  The  boys  themselves  blast 
down  the  rock.  They  manage  the  machinery  which  hoists 
it  to  the  surface.  They  crush  it  and  gather  the  gold  and 
smelt  it  into  bricks. 

There  is  gold  on  the  train  which  takes  us  to  Melbourne. 
It  is  on  its  way  to  the  mint,  where  it  will  be  coined  into 


(lOLD    MINING   IN   AUSTRALIA 


43 


money  and  flow  through  the  streams  of  eommcrce  all  over 
the  world.  The  men  in  charge  of  it  take  us  with  them,  and 
the  mint  officials  show  us  all  the  processes  of  melting  and 
coining,  after  which  we  go  to  the  hotel.  We  have  seen 
so  much  gold  that  it 
dances  before  our  eyes 
in  our  sleep,  and  we 
dream  of  yellow  nug- 
gets as  big  as  our  heads, 
which  we  make  into 
beautiful  coins  to  give 
us  all  we  want  for  the 
rest  of  our  lives. 

The  next  day  is  spent 
in  driving  about  Mel- 
bourne. It  is  a  fine 
city  almost  as  big  as 
Boston,  with  magnificent  buildings  of  gray  stone,  wide 
streets  paved  with  wood  blocks,  and  so  many  parks  and 
gardens  that  it  seems  more  than  half  pleasure  grounds. 
We  drive  out  to  the  Flemington  Race  Course  and  take 
a  spin  around  the  track,  which  the  Australians  think  the 
finest  of  its  kind  upon  earth. 

After  that  we  look  at  the  public  library  and  the  art  gal- 
lery and  visit  the  colleges  and  schools.  Melbourne  has 
excellent  schools,  and  the  same  is  true  of  every  town  in 
Australia.  There  are  fine  libraries  almost  everywhere,  and 
even  small  towns  have  schools  of  arts,  where  good  books 
are  kept  for  reference. 

We  spend  some  time  in  the  zoological  garden  and  the 
botanical   garden    and    take    a  ride    on    the    river   Yarra, 


Stamping  gold  coins. 


44  AUSTRALIA 

which  runs  through  Melbourne  on  its  way  to  the  sea. 
Melbourne  is  very  near  the  mouth  of  tlie  Yarra,  so  near 
that  large  steamers  come  to  anchor  in  the  city  and  the 
biggest  of  ocean  vessels  have  a  safe  harbor  only  a  few 
miles  below  it.  It  is  therefore  a  great  commercial  point, 
and  its  people  do  business  with  all  parts  of  the  world.  It 
vies  with  Sydney  as  the  greatest  city  of  Australia,  the  two 
towns  being  so  jealous  of  each  other  that  here  in  Mel- 
bourne we  have  to  be  careful  not  to  say  much  in  j^-aise 
of  Sydney. 

6.     A    LAND    OF    STRANGE    PLANTS   AND 
ANIMALS 

LEAVING  Melbourne  we  travel  for  days  north  and  south 
over  the  country,  avoiding  the  great  cities  and  explor- 
ing the  wilds.  Now  we  are  climbing  the  beautiful  moun- 
tains which  run  along  back  of  the  coast,  lingering  in 
valleys  bedded  with  ferns  of  all  sizes.  There  are  fern 
trees  so  high  we  can  climb  them,  and,  what  is  worse, 
nettles  much  higher.  The  nettles  have  light  green  leaves 
which  sting  terribly  when  we  touch  them.  There  are  also 
palm  trees  and  evergreens  so  matted  together  that  they 
make  us  think  of  a  tropical  jungle.  We  can  hardly  make 
our  way  through  them. 

Other  regions  are  all  woodland.  There  are  miles  and 
miles  of  great  trees  with  no  undergrowth  and  plenty  of 
grass.  Most  of  the  forest  is  of  the  eucalyptus  or  gum- 
tree  variety,  of  which  there  are  more  than  three  hundred 
kinds  in  Australia.     Some  gums,  like  the  malice,  are  about 


A  LAND  OF  STRANGE  PLANTS  AND  ANIMALS 


45 


ten  feet  high  with  trunks  no  thicker  than  a  blackboard 
pointer,  and  others  are  among  the  largest  trees  known. 
The  gigantic  blue  gum,  for  instance,  grows  three  hundred 
feet  tall  and  six  feet  in  diameter.  It  is  said  to  reach  a 
greater  height  than  our  famous  big  trees  of  California. 


A  grass  tree. 

It  is  the  eucalyptus  that  gives  to  Australia  much  of 
its  gloomy  appearance.  Many  regions  are  covered  with 
mallee  and  mulga  scrub,  vast  areas  of  dusty  brown  bushes 
so  matted  together  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  make 
one's  way  through  them.  The  taller  forests  are  dreary. 
The  leaves  of  the  gums  hang  down  from  the  branches 
as  though  they  were  weeping,  and  the  bark  is  half  off. 
On  some  trees  the  leaves  never  fall,  and  remain  green 
all  the  year  round.  The  trees  shed  their  bark  instead 
of   their   leaves,   the    old    bark    hanging    from    Ihc    trunk 


46 


AT  ST  KALI  A 


like  disheveled  hair,  while  the  new  bark  is  white  or  silver- 
gray. 

Ill  some  places  we  pass  throu_u,"h  groves  of  dead  trees 
which  have  been  ringed  with  an  ax  to  kill  them  for 
clearing.  Snch  trees  have  lost  their  leaves,  their  bark 
has  dropped  to  the  ground,  and  their  white  trunks  and 
branches  look  like  polished  bones  or  skeleton  trees.  The 
logs  on  the  ground  are  white,  the  stumps  are  white,  and 
all  the  surroundings  like  those  of  a  graveyard.  We  feel 
very  depressed  during  parts  of  our  journey,  and  do  not 
wonder  that  part  of  the  interior  has  been  called  the 
"  Never,  Never  Country." 
Still,  nature  is  so  strange  that  we  are  interested  every 

moment.  We  are  always 
finding  new  plants  and 
flowers.  In  northern 
Australia  there  are  bam- 
boos, palm  trees,  and 
tropical  jungles.  We 
find  beautiful  orchids  of 
odd  shapes  with  singu- 
lar flowers,  and  a  lily 
known  as  the  "Gigan- 
tic," which  grows  to  a 
height  of  ten  feet  and 
bears  an  immense  dark 
red  blossom.  The  grass 
tree  is  like  a  tall  stump 
which  has  sprouted  out  grass  on  the  sides  and  top,  and 
the  bottle  tree  has  a  trunk  the  shape  of  a  great  bottle, 
with  branches  and  leaves  growing  out  of  the  cork. 


A  bottle  tree. 


A  LAND  OF  STRANGE  PLANTS  AND  ANIMALS 


47 


The  Australian  animals  are  even  more  interesting  than 
the  plants.  This  is  the  land  of  the  marsupial  or  pouch 
bearer.  There  are  more  than  one  hundred  different  kinds 
of  animals  which  have  pouches  on  their  bodies,  in  which 
they  carry  their  young. 
Some  of  these  animals 
are  taller  than  a  man, 
and  some  no  bigger  than 
your  thumb.  Some 
climb  trees,  some  gal- 
lop over  the  plains,  and 
some  spend  more  than 
half  their  time  in  the 
water. 

The  largest  of  the 
marsupials  are  the  kan- 
garoos, ranging  in  size 
from  great  gray  fellows 
measuring     more     than  Kangaroos. 

seven  feet  from  nose  to  tail,  down  to  the  family  dwarf, 
the  kangaroo  rat.  We  see  specimens  of  every  kind  in 
the  zoological  gardens  of  Sydney  and  Melbourne,  and  we 
meet  some  during  our  tour  through  the  country,  now  and 
then  having  a  kangaroo  hunt  with  the  squatters. 

The  red  and  gray  kangaroos  arc  hunted  in  most  parts 
of  Australia  and  killed  by  the  thousands.  Horses  and 
dogs  are  bred  for  the  sport.  The  dogs  are  a  sort  of 
hound,  very  fierce  and  fleet  of  foot.  The  big  kangaroo 
has  enormous  hind  legs  which  send  it  flying  along  as 
though  moved  by  steel  springs.  It  can  leap  twenty  ov 
thirty  feet  at  a  jump,  and  it  fairly  gallops  over  the  country. 


48  '    AUSTRALIA 

When  brought  to  bay,  it  is  dangerous  and  will  then 
attack  a  dog  or  a  man.  It  usually  backs  itself  up  against 
a  tree,  and  as  the  dog  comes  up  it  seizes  him  with  its  fore 
paws  and  hugs  him  tightly  to  its  breast,  while  it  tears  him 
to  pieces  with  the  single  claw  which  it  has  on  each  hind 
foot.  This  claw  is  as  hard  as  ivory-;  it  is  three  or  four 
inches  long  and  it  cuts  like  a  knife.  Kangaroos  can  swim 
as  well  as  run,  and  they  take  to  the  water  when  they  can. 
If  a  dog  follows  them,  they  will  seize  him,  pull  his  head 
under,  and  hold  him  there  until  he  is  drowned. 

These  animals  usually  go  about  in  herds.  We  often  see 
a  male  and  female  together,  and  sometimes  spy  the  head 
of  a  baby  kangaroo  sticking  out  of  its  mother's  pouch. 
The  kangaroos  are  very  small  when  born,  some  kinds  being 
not  more  than  an  inch  long  at  that  time.  The  mother  puts 
her  babies  into  her  pouch,  and  there  they  live  upon  their 
mother's  milk  for  eight  or  nine  months,  coming  out  now 
and  then  to  eat  grass  and  crawling  back  when  they  are 
tired  or  at  the  least  sign  of  danger.  They  leave  the  pouch 
when  they  become  too  heavy  for  the  mother  to  carry. 

Among  the  most  common  of  the  small  kangaroos  are 
the  wallabies,  which  are  killed  for  their  skins.  There  is  a 
great  demand  for  kangaroo  leather  for  bags,  shoes,  and 
other  such  things,  and  much  of  it  is  yearly  exported  to  the 
United  States. 

Australia  has  a  marsupial  bear,  and  in  northern  Queens- 
land there  are  kangaroos  which  live  in  the  trees  like 
monkeys.  They  climb  about  and  spend  most  of  their 
time  feeding  upon  the  leaves,  seldom  coming  down  except 
for  water. 

AnioiU'   other  curious  aiiiuials  of  the  conlinent  uie  tu<j 


I 


A  LAND  OF  STRANGE  PLANTS  AND  ANIMALS 


49 


little  beasts  which  lay  eggs.  One  of  these  is  the  duck- 
billed platypus  and  the  other  the  echidna  or  spiny  ant- 
eater.  The  platypus  is  a  sort  of  water  mole,  with  fur  as 
soft  and  thick  as  that  of  a  beaver.  It  is  about  twenty 
inches  long  and  it  has  a  flat  head,  which  ends  in  two  jaws 
almost  exactly  like  a  duck's  bill.  It  has  web  feet,  so  that  it 
can  swim  through  the  water.  It  is  usually  found  along  the 
streams  of  southeastern  Australia  and  Tasmania,  living  in 
little  tunnels  which  it  bores  out  from  the  land  down  into 
the  stream.  In  the  mid- 
dle of  such  a  tunnel 
the  platypus  makes  its 
house,  having  one  door 
to  the  water  and  another 
to  the  land.  It  builds 
its  nest  halfway  down 
and  there  lays  its  eggs 
and  hatches  them,  sit- 
ting, it  is  said,  upon  the 
eggs  as  the  birds  do. 
insects,  shellfish,  beetles,  and  roots, 
tiful  cloaks. 

The  other  egg-laying  animal  is  the  spiny  ant-eater, 
somewhat  like  a  hedgehog  in  size  and  appearance.  This 
animal  has  a  long  snout,  and  a  round,  flexible  tongue, 
covered  with  a  sticky  secretion,  with  which  it  can  lick 
up  the  ants  upon  which  it  feeds.  It  has  a  pouch  in  which 
it  places  its  eggs,  carrying  them  about  until  they  are 
hatched. 

We  see  bats  now  and  then,  some  so  big  they  are  known 
as  flying  foxes,  and  others  so  small  they  are  called  flying 


Duck-billed  platypus. 

The  platypus  feeds  upon  water 
Its  fur  makes  beau- 


50  AUSTRALIA 

iiiirc.  \Vc  pass  diii^os  cluiiii-  cur  lioiscback  rides  thr(»u_L;h 
the  woods,  and  the  squatters  tell  us  to  shoot  them  at  sight, 
as  they  worry  the  sheep  and  sometimes  kill  them  by  hun- 
dreds. The  dingo  is  the  wild  dog  of  Australia.  It  does 
not  bark  or  growl  like  a  good,  honest  dog.  It  simply 
howls.  It  is  a  sneaking  animal  and  as  cunning  as  a  fox. 
It  is  so  dreaded  by  the  shepherds  that  bounties  are  given 
for  dingo  scalps,  and  the  wild  dogs  are  hunted  just  as  are 
foxes  in  England. 

The  birds  of  Australia  are  as  strange  as  the  animals. 
Naturalists  tell  us  that  the  continent  has  more  than  seven 
hundred  varieties  of  birds  which  are  found  nowhere  else. 
There  are  vast  numbers  of  parrots  in  the  woods  of  the 
north,  some  as  white  as  snow,  others  of  a  delicate  pink, 
and  others  as  red  as  fresh  blood.  There  are  yellow  par- 
rots, green  parrots,  and  parrots  of  every  shade  and  tint 
you  could  imagine. 

One  of  the  most  curious  birds  is  the  lyre  bird,  which 
has  a  tail  shaped  like  a  lyre,  and  another  is  the  satin  bower 
bird,  which  builds  up  a  sort  of  playground  near  the  tree 
where  its  nest  is.  Its  playground  is  sometimes  three  feet 
in  diameter,  consisting  of  a  floor  made  of  woven  sticks 
raised  up  from  the  ground.  Upon  this  floor  the  birds 
, build  a  little  bower  of  woven  twigs.  They  weave  the  gay 
feathers  of  parrots  and  other  birds  in  and  out  of  the  sticks, 
put  bones  and  shells  here  and  there  about  the  bower,  and 
collect  everything  they  can  to  beautify  it.  These  birds 
when  young  are  bright  green,  but  when  full  grown,  the, 
females  are  green  and  brown  and  the  males  have  feathers 
like  shining  black  satin.  They  are  found  along  the  east 
coast  of  Australia. 


A   LAND    OF    STRANLIE    PLAXIS   AND    ANIMALS 


51 


Australia  has  eagles,  owls,  humming  birds,  pigeons, 
quails,  pheasants,  and  brush  turkeys.  Along  the  coast  are 
ibises  as  tall  as  we  are,  with  pink  legs  like  pipe  stems,  and 
with  long,  pink  necks,  and  bodies  covered  with  feathers  as 
white  as  snow  except  under  the  wings,  where  they  are 
black.  There  are  black  swans,  pelicans,  and  wild  ducks. 
There  are  divers  and  gulls,  as  well  as  swallows,  wrens, 
crows,  and  robins. 

Australia  has  also  some  immense  birds  which  resemble 
the  ostrich,  although  they  are  not  quite  so  large.  The  cas- 
sowary is  to  be  found 
in  Queensland,  and  the 
emu  is  common  there 
and  in  other  parts  of 
Australia.  The  emu  is 
not  so  tall  as  the  ostrich. 
Its  legs  are  shorter  and 
its  body  thicker  and 
clumsier.  Its  feathers 
are  much  like  coarse 
hair.     Its  color  is  dark  Emu  and  chicks. 

brown,  spotted  with  gray,  and  its  wings  are  so  short  that 
they  are  almost  invisible  when  held  close  to  the  body. 

Emus  are  quite  dangerous.  Thev  have  strong  bills,  and 
they  bite.  They  kick  somewhat  like  a  cow  and  hit  so 
hard  that  one  blow  of  the  foot  is  enough  to  kill  a  dog 
or  man.  The  best  time  for  hunting  the  emu  is  in  the 
morning  when  the  bird  comes  out  to  feed  on  the  grass. 
It  is  chased  on  horseback  with  dogs  which  are  trained  to 
catch  it  by  the  neck  in  such  a  wa)'  that  they  can  not  be 
easily  kicked.     The  squatters  are  an.xious  to  destroy  the 


i 


52 


AUSTRALIA 


emus  to  save  the  grass  for  the  sheep,  and  for  this  reason 
they  not  only  shoot  them  but  also  hunt  their  nests  and 
break  the  eggs.  In  one  county  of  New  South  Wales  ten 
thousand  emus  were  once  killed  in  nine  months,  and  at 
one  sheep  station  fifteen  hundred  eggs  were  found  and 
destroyed. 

Emu  eggs  arc  enormous  in  comparison  with  hens'  eggs, 
but  are  much  smaller  than  the  eggs  of  an  ostrich.  The 
shells  are  sometimes  mounted  in  silver  and  used  as  milk 
jugs  or  sugar  bowls. 

We  can  not  possibly  mention  all  of  the  seven  hundred 
kinds  of  birds    found   in   Australia.     There  is  one   bird, 

however,  that  speaks  for 
himself.  This  is  the 
laughing  jackass,  as  the 
people  call  him.  He  is 
a  kingfisher,  with  a  head 
as  big  as  his  body  but 
a  voice  that  is  many 
times  bigger  than  both 
body  and  head.  When 
he  begins  to  sing,  he 
cooes  like  a  dove  and 
then  bursts  out  into  a 


Laughing  jackass. 


ha!  ha!  ha!  hoo  !  hoo  !  hoo  !  —  a  most  contemptuous  and 
tantalizing  laugh  which  he  keeps  up  until  at  last  we  laugh 
in  reply.  This  bird  eats  snakes,  lizards,  and  other  such 
things,  and  for  this  reason  it  is  protected  by  law. 

Australia  has  many  mosquitoes,  ants,  and  other  insects; 
it  has  venomous  snakes,  crocodiles,  and  240  kinds  of  lizards, 
including  the  goana,  some  of  which  are  seven  feet  long. 


QUEENSLAND  53 

7.     QUEENSLAND  — THE   PEARL   FISHERIES 
—  THE   GREAT    BARRIER    REEF 

WE  have  come  north  to  Brisbane,  the  capital  of 
Queensland,  and  are  about  to  start  on  a  long  sea 
journey  around  the  Australian  continent.  Brisbane  is  a 
fine  city  on  the  Brisbane  River,  eighteen  miles  from  its 
mouth,  but  the  stream  is  deep  and  there  are  ocean  steamers 
at  anchor  right  in  the  city.  It  is  warm,  and  we  are  glad 
to  keep  under  the  awnings  as  we  make  our  way  from  store 
to  store  laying  in  our  supplies.  We  visit  the  public  build- 
ings and  the  mining  museum,  learning  much  of  the  re- 
sources of  this  part  of  the  continent.  Queensland  is  larger 
by  half  than  all  our  Atlantic  states,  and  although  parts  of 
it  are  desert,  it  has  rich  farms  and  pasture  fields  not  far 
from  the  coast,  and  rich  deposits  of  minerals,  including 
gold  and  opals  in  the  mountainous  sections. 

Taking  ship,  we  steam  down  the  river  through  Moreton 
Bay  out  into  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  then  start  northward 
through  one  of  the  most  remarkable  waterways  of  the 
world.  This  is  the  channel  which  lies  between  the  coast 
and  the  Great  Barrier  Reef,  a  rocky  wall  which  has  been 
built  up  by  the  little  coral  aiiimals  for  more  than  twelve 
hundred  miles  along  the  northeastern  coast  of  Australia. 

How  smooth  the  water  is  !  We  can  not  realize  that  we 
are  on  the  ocean ;  we  seem  to  be  in  a  mighty  canal  one 
side  of  which  is  the  rocky  continent  of  Australia  and  the 
other  this  vast  wall  built  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea  by 
countless  millions  of  coral  polyps. 

The  wall  is  from  ten  to  seventy  miles  wide.     In  some 


54 


AiisrkAi.iA 


jjlaces  it  just  teaches  ihe  suilace  ami  tail  not  lie  seen 
except  at  low  tide ;  at  others  it  rises  above  the  water  in 
ridges  and  ragged  rocks,  sometimes  forming  gardens  of 
pink,  red,  and  white  flowers,  all  of  coral.  Here  real 
plants  and  trees  have  sprouted  out  of  these  stony  gardens, 
and  there  the  coral  has  been  built  up  in  great  horseshoe 
rinsfs    with    water    inside    them.       Such    rinsrs    are    called 


£^5 


'^^■iaa^^ 


Coral  garden,  Great  Barrier  Reef. 

atolls.  Cocoanut  trees,  green  grass,  and  beautiful  flowers 
grow  upon  them,  forming  emerald  rings  surrounded  by  and 
inclosing  the  sapphire  sea. 

The  Great  ISarrier  Reef  runs  through  the  Pacific  Ocean 
at  a  distance  of  from  five  to  fifteen  and  more  miles  from 
the  coast.  At  Rockhampton  where  we  enter  the  channel 
it  is  about  one  hundred  miles  wide,  but  a  little  farther  north 
it  narrows,  giving  us  quiet  waters  through  which  our 
steamer  is  plowing  its  way. 

How  delightful  the  journey  is  after  our  thirsty  travels 


QUEENSLAND  55 

on  land.  The  sun  is  hot,  but  the  soft,  cooling  breezes  of 
the  Pacific  come  to  us  over  the  atolls.  The  air  is  as  clear 
as  on  our  Rocky  Mountain  Plateau.  The  sky  is  a  light 
blue  with  a  few  clouds  which  make  patches  of  velvet  of 
a  deeper  blue,  where  their  shadows  fall  upon  the  dreary 
gray  mountains  of  the  mainland.  It  reminds  us  of  the 
Rockies,  for  nature  here  is  much  the  same  as  in  Arizona 
and  Nevada. 

Our  first  stop  is  at  Townsville,  a  little  city  at  the  foot  of 
bleak  and  bare  hills.  It  is  not  unlike  one  of  our  western 
mining  towns,  save  that  it  has  more  schools  and  more 
pleasure  grounds.  It  is  the  chief  port  for  the  Charters 
Towers  and  other  gold  regions  and  for  the  rich  pasture 
lands  behind  it.  How  hot  it  is  !  The  people  are  dressed 
in  light  clothing.  The  children  wear  straw  hats  as  big  as 
parasols  and  go  barefooted.  We  are  now  on  the  edge  of 
tropical  Australia,  and  it  will  grow  hotter  and  hotter  as  we 
go  farther  north.  On  our  continent  the  north  lands  are 
cold  and  the  south  lands  hot.  Why  is  it  not  so  in  Aus- 
tralia.-'  Look  at  your  map!  Australia  is  south  of  the 
Equator,  and  its  northern  parts  get  the  more  direct  rays 
of  the  sun. 

At  Cairns,  still  farther  on,  we  visit  sugar  and  tobacco 
plantations,  and  enjoy  the  bananas  and  pineapples  which 
are  raised  there  for  export  to  Sydney,  Melbourne,  Ade- 
laide, and  other  towns  of  the  south. 

Calling  at  Cooktown,  a  pretty  place  at  the  foot  of  Grassy 
Hill  which  rises  more  than  five  hundred  feet  above  it,  we 
walk  up  Charlotte  Street  to  visit  the  monument  on  the 
spot  where  Captain  Cook  beached  his  vessel.  We  then 
steam  in  and  out  among  coral  islands  along  Cape  York 

OUR    COLONIES  —  4 


56 


AUSTRALIA 


"At  Cairns  we  visit  sugar  plantations." 

Peninsula,  a  vast  barren  tract  five  hundred  miles  long. 
On  much  of  the  coast  there  is  nothing  in  sight  but  sand, 
rocks,  and  reddish  brown  cones,  each  of  which  is  the 
home  of  thousands  of  ants.  These  little  ant  castles  cover 
the  land  in  some  places.  Each  cone  is  composed  of  many 
cells  or  rooms  rising  floor  above  floor  like  the  flats  of  a 
great  apartment  house  ;  some  of  the  cones  are  twenty  feet 
high.  Australia  has  many  kinds  of  ants,  some  red,  some 
black,  and  some  white.  The  white  ants  are  wood  eaters 
and  they  usually  work  away  in  the  dark,  eating  the  wood 
of  a  tree,  post,  or  piece  of  furniture  until  only  a  shell  is 
left. 

More  interesting  to  us  just  now  are  the  little  animals 
or  polyps  which  have  built  up  this  great  reef,  and  the 
coral  islands  which  dot  the  Pacific  Ocean  both  north  and 


QUEENSLAND 


57 


south  of  the  Equator,  and  especially  in  the  South  Seas 
not  far  from  where  we  are  now.  The  coral  polyp  extracts 
lime  from  the  salt  water,  and  from  this  lime  its  minute 
coral  skeleton  is  formed.  The  skeleton  remains  after 
the  polyp  is  dead,  other  skeletons  being  added,  cither 
by  its  children  or  by  other  polyps ;  and  in  time,  by  the 
work  of  millions  of  such  little  beings,  these  islands,  reefs, 
gardens,  and  flowers  of  coral  are  built  up  out  of  the  water. 
It  is  from  lime  that  all  sorts  of  shells  are  formed,  including 
those  of  the  pearl  oyster  and  even  the  pearls  themselves. 


Shells  of  the  pearl  oyster. 

The  coral  islands  and  reefs  are  the  favorite  living  places 
of  this  oyster.  It  will  not  thrive  in  the  dirt,  nor  in  any 
place  where  the  tide  moves  the  sand  about.  The  pearl 
oyster  fastens  itself  by  a  muscle,  extending  out  near  the 
hinge  of  the  shell  to  the  coral  formations,  often  picking 
out  caverns  in  the  reef  and  caves  under  the  water.  If 
undisturbed  it  grows  to  an  enormous  size,  the  shells  often 
being  as  large  as  the  largest  dinner  plate  and  sometimes 
eighteen  inches  from  one  side  to  the  other. 

Pearls  are  found  inside  the  shells  and  often  in  the  flesh 
of  the  oysters.     It  is  supposed  that  each  is  formed  by  a 


58  AUSTRALIA 

o^rain  of  sand  or  sonic  other  forcii;'!!  snhstance  getting 
inside  the  shell.  This  scratches  the  oyster,  which  at 
once  begins  to  make  a  covering  over  it.  The  oyster 
e.xudes  more  and  more  carbonate  of  lime,  painting  the 
substance  again  and  again  until  it  becomes  a  smooth  ball. 

A  pearl  cut  in  two  and  put  under  the  microscope  shows 
concentric  layers  like  an  onion,  and  often  a  little  hole  in 
the  center  where  the  offending  grain  of  sand  or  other  sub- 
stance was. 

Pearls  are  not  always  round.  They  are  often  pear 
shaped  and  sometimes  of  other  forms.  Round  ones  are 
the  most  valuable,  the  largest  and  brightest  often  selling 
for  many  thousands  of  dollars.  The  commoner  kinds 
bring  much  less. 

The  shells  of  these  oysters  yield  more  money  than  the 
pearls  themselves.  Many  oysters  have  no  pearls,  and  in 
some  the  pearls  are  so  small  that  they  are  comparatively 
worthless.  But  all  oysters  have  shells,  and  the  shells 
are  of  value  in  commerce.  They  are  used  for  making 
buttons,  knife  handles,  and  other  beautiful  things.  They 
are  in  such  demand  that  men  go  out  in  boats  to  the 
coral  reefs  and  islands  about  Australia  and  in  the  South 
Seas  and  dive  down  for  them.  They  gather  thousands  of 
tons  of  them  every  year  for  export  to  Europe.  Traders 
go  from  island  to  island  buying  shells  of  the  natives,  in 
exchange  for  tobacco,  calico,  and  other  goods.  The  shells 
are  sold  by  weight,  the  best  bringing  as  much  as  one 
thousand  dollars  per  ton,  while  even  the  poor  ones  are 
worth  getting. 

Some  of  the  best  peari-ovster  grounds  about  Australia 
are  off  the  northeastern  coast  in  the  very  seas  where  we 


nUF.KNM.AM)  59 

now  are.  We  meet  fishing  boats  as  we  steam  northward, 
and  upon  rounding  Cape  York,  we  land  at  Thursday  Island 
in  Torres  Strait,  one  of  the  headquarters  of  the  pearl-fish- 
ing industry.  Several  iishing  schooners  lie  at  anchor 
inside  the  harbor,  a  steamer  bound  for  Europe  is  taking 
on  a  cargo  of  shells,  and  pearl  divers  by  the  score  are 
among  the  crowd  of  men  of  all  nations  which  meets  us 
;as  we  step  upon  the  pier. 

Thursday  Island  is  at  one  of  the  crossroads  of  the 
sea.  Ships  from  India,  China,  and  Japan  stop  here  on 
their  way  to  and  from  Australia,  and  we  find  people  of 
almost  every  race  in  this  part  of  the  world.  There  are 
black  men,  brown  men,  and  yellow  men;  some  from 
Malaysia,  some  from  China  and  Japan,  and  others  from 
the  islands  about.  There  are  also  whites,  for  the  island 
belongs  to  Queensland,  and  its  magistrate  is  an  Australian, 
as  are  also  the  soldiers  in  the  barracks  near  by. 

We  take  a  stroll  through  the  town,  visit  the  warehouses 
where  the  shells  are  stored,  and  later  on  go  out  and  watch 
the  pearl  fishers  as  they  dive  down  after  shells.  The  men 
are  first  clad  in  thick  flannel,  and  then  in  diving  suits 
which  will  keep  out  the  water.  Each  suit  has  a  metal 
head  with  glass  at  the  front  so  that  the  man  can  see  out, 
and  a  rubber  tube  so  that  fresh  air  from  above  can  be  con- 
stantly pumped  into  the  suit.  He  has  boots  with  heavy 
soles  of  copper  or  lead  to  enable  him  to  sink,  and  a  canvas 
bag  for  shells.  Thus  dres.sed  he  goes  down  to  the  bottom 
of  the  sea,  and  moves  about  where  the  pearl  oysters  are. 
He  cuts  them  off  from  the  rocks  and  puts  them  into  his  bag, 
being  careful  to  avoid  the  fierce  sharks  which  sometimes 
follow  the  boats,  and  also  the  great  squid,  a  marine  mon- 


6o  AUSTRALIA 

stcr  with  long  arms,  which  vomits  a  blucic  fluid  so  discolor- 
ing the  water  that  the  man  can  not  see  and  is  liable  to  fall 
against  the  rocks. 

When  the  divers  come  up,  their  bags  are  emptied.  The 
shells  are  opened  with  a  thin-bladed  knife,  not  unlike  a 
table  knife,  and  the  oysters  taken  out.  They  are  carefully 
examined  to  see  if  they  have  pearls  in  them  and  then 
thrown  away.  This  work  is  watched  by  the  owners  of  the 
boats,  for  otherwise  it  would  be  easy  for  a  man  to  steal 
pearls  worth  hundreds  of  dollars. 


oJO^o 


8.     AMONG     THE     ABORIGINES     OR     NATIVE 
AUSTRALIANS 

WE  have  waved  good-by  to  our  pearl-diving  friends 
at  Thursday  Island,  and  are  now  sailing  westward 
along  northern  Australia.  The  captain  has  stretched 
canvas  over  the  deck,  for  the  tropical  sun  is  terribly  hot, 
and  the  water  reflects  its  rays  in  a  blinding  glare.  The 
sea  is  like  glass,  and  our  vessel  moves  through  it  without 
perceptible  motion. 

It  takes  us  two  days  to  cross  the  Gulf  of  Carpentaria, 
which  cuts  almost  as  deep  into  the  land  as  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  Farther  on  we  pass  numerous  green  islands 
inhabited  by  natives  and  finally  come  to  anchor  before 
Palmerston,  the  chief  city  at  this  end  of  the  continent. 
Palmerston  is  the  capital  of  the  northern  territory.  It 
has  but  a  few  hundred  people,  and  among  them  some 
Chinese  and  East  Indians,  who  act  chiefly  as  servants  and 


AMONG   THE   ABORIGINES 


61 


laborers.  It  is  situated  on  a  hill  sixty  feet  above  the  har- 
bor which  almost  surrounds  it,  making  it  cool  notwith- 
standing the  tropical  sun.  The  town  has  many  good 
buildings,  including  a  courthouse,  two  or  three  banks, 
a  church  or  so,  some  stores,  and,  what  is  better  than  all, 
a  post  ofifice  where  we 
send  letters  home. 

Strolling  through  the 
streets,  we  meet  many 
of  the  half-savage  na- 
tives, and  learn  that 
they  come  from  camps 
not  far  away.  This  part 
of  the  continent  has 
more  aborigines,  or  na- 
tive Australians,  than 
any  other.  Vast  tracts 
are  almost  uninhabited 
except  by  these  curious 
people.  They  were  never 

many     in     number,     and,  Australian  aborigine. 

like  our  Indians,  they  have  become  fewer  and  fewer  in 
those  places  where  the  whites  have  taken  up  the  good 
lands.  They  have  also  decreased  elsewhere  until  now 
only  a  few  thousand  are  left.  Some  are  employed  upon 
the  sheep  farms  as  hunters,  and  others  have  camping 
grounds  here  and  there  in  the  wilds,  but  in  no  other 
place  are  there  so  many  as  where  we  are  now. 

What  odd-looking  people !  They  are  a  race  of  their 
own  like  unto  no  other  on  earth.  At  first  sight  they  make 
us  think  of  negroes,  but  they  are  brown  rather  than  black. 


62 


AUSTRALIA 


and  their  hair  is  not  woolly.  Their  lips  are  not  so  thick, 
and  their  noses  not  so  flat  as  those  of  the  African. 
Many  are  fine  looking,  having  broad  foreheads,  bold, 
piercing  eyes,  straight  forms,  and  deep  chests.  Others 
are  ugly,  crooked,  and  scrawny.  The  older  men  have 
thick,  black  beards  c()\ering  their  faces  and  long,  pitch- 
black  hair  on  their  heads,  arms,  legs,  and  chests.     All  have 

strong    white    teeth,   which 
show  when  they  laugh. 

How  queerly  they  dress! 
It  is  only  in  the  settlements, 
in  this  warm,  northern  coun- 
try, that  they  wear  clothes 
at  all,  and  even  here  the 
children  are  naked.  Far- 
ther back  in  the  country  a 
string  or  so  about  the  waist 
or  neck,  and  perhaps  a  coat 
of  fish  oil  or  a  little  paint, 
is  a  full  suit  for  a  man   or 

•■  -we  see  men  who  use  nose  pins."  womaR,     although     in     OthCF 

regions  where  it  is  colder  they  have,  in  the  winter,  opos- 
sum skins  tied  to  their  waist  belts  and  thrown  over  their 
shoulders. 

Each  tribe  has  its  own  way  of  dressing,  and  especially 
of  fixing  the  hair.  Some  natives  bind  the  head  about  with 
cloths,  some  stick  feathers  into  their  hair,  and  tie  the 
knuckle  bones  of  kangaroos  and  kangaroo  teeth  to  the 
forelocks  so  that  they  hang  down  over  the  eyes.  About 
Port  Darwin  we  see  men  who  use  nose  pins  ten  inches 
long.     The  nose  is  pierced  just  under  the  nostril,  and  the 


AMONG   THE   ABORIGINES 


63 


pin  so  thrust  through  that  it  stands  out  on  each  side  for 
five  inches  or  more.  Other  natives  pierce  their  ears,  using 
kangaroo  bones  as  plugs. 

Notice  the  scars  on  the  bodies  of  the  men,  women,  and 
children.  They  are  made  for  ornamentation,  the  flesh 
being  gashed  with  flint  or  shells  and  powdered  charcoal 
dusted  into  the  wounds,  so  that  upon  healing  ridges  as  thick 
as  your  finger  are  left.  There  is  a  man  now  with  scars  on 
his  back,  and  here  comes  one  who  is  covered  with  cuts. 
A  parent  who  is  proud  of  his  boy  often  cuts  pieces  out 
of  his  skin  to  make  him 
look  fine. 

Many  of  the  native 
women  we  see  have 
scars  made  by  their  hus- 
bands, who  treat  them 
as  though  they  were 
slaves.  The  woman  is 
thought  to  belong  to 
her  husband,  and  if  he 
clubs  her  or  cuts  her 
with  knife  or  spear,  no 
one  objects.  The  woman 
is  expected  to  do  the  work  of  the  family,  from  building 
the  house  to  cooking  the  food  and  taking  care  of  the 
children.  She  carries  the  furniture  to  the  new  camp 
when  the  tribe  moves,  and  there  puts  up  the  shelter  of 
bark  or  skin  under  w^hich  all  crawl  in  bad  weather.  She 
chops  her  own  fire  wood  and  often  gathers  the  food. 

What  do  these  people  eat  ?     We  are  afraid  to  say  for 
fear  our  friends  will  not  believe  us.     They  eat  anything 


—  the  shelter  of  bark." 


64 


AUSTRALIA 


they  can  get  from  kangaroos  or  opossums  to  ants,  worms, 
and  snakes.  They  pick  the  larvx-  of  beetles  out  of  rotten 
trees  and  cook  them  in  red-hot  ashes.  They  eat  lizards 
of  many  kinds,  especially  one  which  is  very  large  and 
tastes  not  unlike  spring  chicken,  and  also  grasshoppers 
and  locusts  which  sometimes  swarm  over  parts  of  Australia. 
They  throw  the  grasshoppers  into  the  fire  to  burn  off  the 

wings  and  legs,  and  then   take 
them  out  and  cook  each  grass- 
hopper separately.     Such  food 
is  said  to  taste  like  roasted  nuts. 
There  are  ants  which  the  na- 
tives  esteem   a  great  delicacy. 
They  eat  also  the  young  leaves 
of    certain    trees,    grass    seeds, 
roots,  and  all  sorts  of  wild  nuts 
and  fruits,  as  well  as  frogs,  fish, 
and  eels.     Honey  is  got  from 
wild   bees   by    sticking  a  little 
white  feather  upon  the  back  of 
a  captured  bee  and  following  it 
home.      Seme  natives  are  can- 
Throwing  the  boomerang.  nibals,  but  there  are  not  many 
such,  although  explorers  say  they  have  caught  them  eat- 
ing human  beings. 

Native  Australians  are  excellent  hunters  and  trappers. 
The  men  are  skilled  in  throwing  spears  and  clubs,  espe- 
cially the  boomerang,  a  flat  club  about  a  yard  or  more  long 
bent  into  a  sort  of  bow,  which  they  can  hurl  in  such  a  way ' 
that  if  it  does  not  strike  anything  it  will  rise  in  the  air 
and  sail  back  to  their  feet.     Boomerangs  are  used  more 


WESTERN    AUSTRALIA    AND   TASMANIA  65 

as  playthings  and  for  killing  small  birds  than  for  fighting' 
or  heavy  hunting. 

The  natives  spear  fish,  and  they  catch  emus  and  kanga- 
roos by  driving  them  into  nets  concealed  in  the  bushes. 
They  make  fire  by  rubbing  two  sticks  together,  but  as  this 
is  not  easy  to  do  in  wet  weather,  they  seldom  allow  their 
fires  to  go  out. 

These  aborigines  are  about  as  low  in  civilization  as  any 
people  on  earth.  Very  few  of  them  learn  to  read  and 
write.  They  believe  in  witches,  demons,  and  ghosts,  and 
think  their  medicine  men  can,  if  they  wish,  cause  one  to 
fall  sick  or  die.  They  have  charms  to  ward  off  evil  spirits, 
but  they  carefully  avoid  caves  and  thickets  which,  as  they 
suppose,  are  haunted  by  them.  Some  tribes  believe  that 
the  white  settlers  are  natives  who  have  died  and  come  to 
life  again,  and  that,  after  death,  they  themselves  will  be 
born  again  with  white  bodies. 


o^Hc 


9.     WESTERN   AUSTRALIA   AND   TASMANIA 

LEAVING  Port  Darwin,  we  sail  westward  into  the 
Indian  Ocean  and  then  southward  along  the  state 
of  Western  Australia.  We  cross  valuable  pearl-fishing 
grounds  and  pass  by  Kimberley,  where  there  are  extensive 
gold  mines  and  rich  pastures.  We  do  not  stop,  but  sail  on 
and  on  farther  south. 

The  water  is  smooth,  and  we  now  and  then  see  a  whale. 
There  are  some  whales  now  quietly  floating  on  the  sea 
at  our  right.  They  are  apparently  sleeping.  Let  us  see 
if  we  can  arouse  them  by  a  shot !     We  pick  up  our  guns 


66  AUSTKAI.IA 

and  send  a  score  of  hullcls  at  thi-  <^reat  monsters.  The 
water  splashes  up  where  the  balls  fall,  and  at  the  same 
time  one  of  the  whales  raises  its  head.  What  a  huge 
thing  it  is!  It  is  like  an  island  rising  out  of  the  water. 
Now  the  whales  are  moving.  They  roll  aside  the  water 
like  a  steamer.  Now  they  have  dived,  and  we  see  them 
,no  more. 

As  we  come  closer  in  shore,  huge  sharks  follow  our 
vessel,  and  we  are  careful  how  we  hang  over  the  rail.  If 
we  should  fall  in,  they  would  eat  us  up  in  a  trice.  There 
are  so  many  about  here  that  one  of  the  harbors  has  been 
named  Shark  Bay. 

Fremantle,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Swan  River,  is  our 
first  port  of  call,  where  we  leave  the  steamer  and  go  by 
rail  ten  miles  inland  to  Perth,  the  capital  of  Western 
Australia.  Perth  is  a  thriving  city  of  many  red  brick 
buildings  with  awnings  over  the  streets.  It  has  good 
stores,  churches,  and  schools.  We  ride  through  it  on 
street  cars,  and  at  night  stroll  about  under  the  electric 
lights.  We  climb  Mount  Eliza,  the  great  hill  at  the 
west  of  the  town,  for  a  look  over  the  country.  The 
river  Swan  can  be  seen  flowing  above  and  below  it,  and 
off  in  the  distance  are  the  Darling  Mountains  covered 
with  woods. 

There  are  rich  farms  and  gardens  in  every  direction, 
and  we  see  that  this  southwestern  corner  of  Australia 
compares  in  fertility  with  the  southeastern  part.  It 
has  great  forests  of  valuable  timber,  including  the  jarrah, 
sometimes  called  Australian  mahogany,  and  other  trees 
good  for  ship  building.  There  are  also  fine  pasture 
lands,  but  as  we  have  already  learned,  much  of  the  state 


WESTERN   AUSTRALIA   AND   TASMANIA  6/ 

is  a  vast  desert  of  sand  and  rock,  some  of  which  contains 
gold. 

On  our  way  back  to  the  city  we  see  a  caravan  of  camels 
which  has  found  its  w^ay  into  Perth,  and  wish  we  could 
hire  them  for  a  trip  into  the  wilds.  We  know,  however, 
that  the  journey  through  the  desert  would  be  terribly 
dreary,  not  to  say  dangerous,  and  decide  to  go  back  to 
the  ship. 

Our  stay  on  shore  has  been  hot,  and  we  are  glad  to  get  the 
sea  breeze.  We  steam  south  about  Cape  Leeuwin  (loo'ln), 
the  peninsula  at  the  southwestern  corner  of  Australia, 
to  Albany,  a  fine  city  on  an  excellent  harbor  where  ships 
from  Europe  stop  on  their  way  to  Melbourne  and  Sydney. 
A  day  later  we  are  again  on  board,  sailing  along  the  coast 
of  southern  Australia,  bound  for  Melbourne,  whence  we 
shall  go  to  Tasmania. 

We  are  now  in  the  great  southern  ocean  which  extends 
southward  to  the  Antarctic  Circle.  It  is  a  mighty  belt  of 
water,  more  than  two  thousand  miles  wide,  which  sweeps 
around  the  globe  unbroken  by  any  mass  of  land  except 
the  lower  end  of  South  America.  It  is  already  colder, 
and  we  have  frequent  storms.  There  is  a  steady  wind 
from  the  westward,  and  the  captain  orders  that  the  sails 
be  hoisted  so  that  both  wind  and  steam  may  hurry  us 
onward. 

Much  of  our  journey  is  over  the  great  Australian  Bight, 
which  extends  for  eleven  hundred  miles  along  the  southern 
coast.  How  bleak  and  dreary  it  is  !  The  land  ends  in 
cliffs  several  hundred  feet  high  ;  it  is  a  desert,  having  no 
ri\'er  which  empties  into  the  sea  for  more  than  six  hun- 
dred  miles.      Should   the   ship   be   wrecked,  we  might   as 


68 


AUSTRALIA 


well  let  ourselves  drown,  for  we  should  certainly  starve 
or  die  of  thirst  if  left  on  this  coast.  The  only  vegetation 
is  scrub,  thorn  bushes,  and  sharp-pointed  grasses  which 
cut  like  a  knife. 

There  are  no  signs  of  life  except  in  the  air  and  on  the 
sea.  We  see  a  whale  now  and  then,  and  nearer  the 
coast  a  great  turtle  floating  about.     Gulls,  little  and  big, 


"  —we  see  winged  penguins." 

follow  us,  now  hovering  above  the  masts,  and  now  darting 
into  the  water  after  something  that  has  dropped  overboard. 
High  over  us  great  albatrosses  float  on  their  enormous 
wings,  and  below  them,  when  quite  close  to  the  shore,  we 
see  winged  penguins  swimming  about,  now  and  then  diving 
down  for  their  food ;  they  make  a  hoarse  quack,  which 
sounds  odd  as  it  comes  to  us  over  the  water.  Farther 
northward  we  may  see  the  frigate  bird,  which  compares 
in  size  with  the  albatross  and  can  fly  many  hours  without 


WESTERN   AUSTRALIA   AND  TASMANIA  69 

resting.  There  are  other  strange  sights,  but  the  strong 
winds,  the  high  waves,  and  the  dreary,  dreary  coast  make 
us  tired  of  the  trip,  and  we  are  glad  when  we  steam 
up  to  Port  PhiUp  and  come  to  anchor  at  a  wharf  of 
Melbourne. 

Here  we  stay  but  a  night,  and  then  take  the  Uttle 
steamer  for  Hobart,  the  capital  of  Tasmania,  the  island 
state  of  the  Australian  commonwealth.  The  water 
is  rough  as  we  pass  Flinders  Island  in  crossing  Bass 
Strait.  Our  boat  rolls  about  terribly ;  it  is  raining, 
and  we  have  to  wear  our  rubbers  to  keep  from  falling 
on  the  slippery  deck.  We  are  a  day  and  two  nights  on 
the  voyage  from  Melbourne,  and  when  we  awake  in 
the  morning,  we  find  ourselves  in  the  mouth  of  the  Der- 
went  River,  under  the  shadow  of  a  great  mountain  at 
the  wharves  of  one  of  the  prettiest  little  cities  we  have 
yet  seen. 

We  are  in  Hobart,  on  the  southern  end  of  Tasmania,  in 
the  Switzerland  of  Australasia.  How  different  it  is  from 
most  parts  of  the  continent  we  have  just  left.  Instead  of 
gray  sand  and  rock  and  dreary  bush,  we  are  surrounded  by 
green.  There  are  roses  in  the  gardens,  and  the  woods 
near  by  the  city  are  full  of  beautiful  flowers.  * 

Tasmania  has  vast  groves  of  fern  trees ;  it  has  forests  of 
the  dreary  eucalyptus  and  also  the  friendly  oaks,  beeches, 
and  other  trees  of  our  country.  It  is  well  watered.  There 
are  streams  everywhere  and  numerous  lakes.  It  is  a  land 
of  mountains,  valleys,  and  glens,  so  beautiful  and  so 
healthful  that  people  from  all  parts  of  Australasia  visit 
it  as  Europeans  visit  the  Alps. 

There  are  many  tourists  in  Hobart,  and  we  make  up 


70 


AUSTRALIA 


parties  for  excursions  on  the  railroad,  on  foot,  and  on 
horseback  to  the  different  parts  of  the  island.  We  climb 
the  mountains  and  have  good  luck,  fishing  in  the  lakes. 
We  have  a  chance  to  shoot  a  tiger  wolf  and  a  Tasmanian 
devil,  a  sort  of  ugly  bear  cat.  We  spend  some  time  visiting 
the  tin,  iron,  copper,  silver,  and  gold  mines,  and  go  from 


"  We  are  in  Hobart" 

one  town  to  another,  being  more  and  more  surprised  at  the 
good  schools,  stores,  and  comfortable  homes  which  these 
people  have  here,  at  the  southern  end  of  the  earth,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  globe. 

The  Tasmanians  are  the  descendants  of  the  English 
who  settled  the  country-  They  are  very  much  like  our 
people  at  home,  hospitable  and  glad  to  show  one  about. 
We  visit  their  sheep  ranches  and  their  farms,  which  are 
noted  for  rich  crops  of  wheat,  barley,  and  oats. 


WESTERN   AUSTRALIA   AND  TASMANIA  7 1 

Everywhere  we  go  we  find  orchards  of  pears,  apples, 
and  plums ;  there  are  strawberries,  cherries,  and  all  sorts 
of  small  fruit.  We  have  jam  every  morning  at  breakfast, 
and  find  ourselves  eating  apples  at  all  hours  of  the  day. 
Tasmania  produces  fruit  in  vast  quantities  for  export,  and 
her  canning  factories  make  jams  for  all  parts  of  Austral- 
asia. 

How  would  our  farmers  like  to  market  their  fruit  sixteen 
thousand  miles  away  ?  That  is  what  the  Tasmanian 
farmers  are  doing.  They  are  sending  apples  to  England 
in  steamers  especially  fitted  up  with  cold  storage  chambers 
to  keep  them  from  rotting  as  they  go  across  the  Equator. 

That  farmer  in  the  orchard  at  the  side  of  the  road  is 
picking  apples  for  the  children  of  England.  Think  what 
a  long  journey  each  apple  must  take  before  it  gets  to  its 
English  boy  customer.  Its  first  trip  will  be  on  a  wagon 
to  the  railroad  station,  and  thence  by  car  to  Hobart. 
There  it  will  be  put  in  the  cold,  dark  hold  of  the  ship  to 
start  with  thousands  of  its  brothers  and 'sisters  on  its  long 
journey  by  sea.  It  will  go  west  through  the  southern 
ocean  for  more  than  one  thousand  miles  before  it  reaches 
the  southwestern  end  of  Australia,  crossing  perhaps  the 
track  we  made  when  we  came  about  from  Perth.  It  will 
then  go  on  over  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  through  the  Red 
Sea  and  Suez  Canal  into  the  Mediterranean,  and  will  pass 
out  through  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar  into  the  Atlantic,  and 
thence  to  England.  It  will  be  traveling  on  the  sea  every 
day  and  night  for  fully  a  month  before  it  again  sees  the 
light  of  day,  and  reaches  its  English  boy  customer. 

And  the  boy,  after  all,  will  pay  only  three  cents  for  it. 
This  three  cents  will  pay  not  only  the  farmer  for  raising 

OUR   COLONIES  —  5 


NEW   ZEALAND  73 

the  apple,  but  the  railroads  in  Tasmania  and  England,  the 
merchants  who  handle  it  at  both  ends  of  the  route, 
the  sailors  who  manage  the  vessel,  the  miners  who  dig 
the  coal  which  makes  the  steam,  as  well  as  some  others 
who  have  more  or  less  to  do  with  it  before  it  is  sold  for 
the  English  boy's  pennies.  This  could  not  be  done  were 
not  millions  of  other  apples  shipped  the  same  way,  and 
vast  quantities  of  goods  made  in  England  and  sent  back 
in  exchange.     This  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  commerce. 


oV«<c 


10.     NEW   ZEALAND 

WE  are  in  our  first  great  storm  at  sea.  We  had  some 
heavy  winds  about  southern  Australia,  and  we 
thought  it  rough  while  crossing  Bass  Strait,  but  we  have 
had  nothing  like  this.  We  are  now  in  the  Roaring  For- 
ties, a  part  of  the  ocean  so  called  from  its  terrible  storms. 
Our  ship  has  been  rolling  about  ever  since  we  left  Hobart 
four  days  ago,  and  here,  at  the  southern  end  of  New  Zea- 
land, the  water  is  rougher  than  ever.  We  hold  to  the  rail, 
and  bend  to  and  fro  to  balance  ourselves  as  we  walk. 
When  we  sit,  our  chairs  must  be  tied  to  keep  them  from 
sliding,  and  at  every  meal  wooden  racks  are  placed  on  the 
tables  that  our  plates  may  not  slide  into  our  laps.  Now 
and  then  our  coffee  spills  as  we  try  to  drink  it,  and  when 
the  ship  pitches,  a  spray  from  our  soup  plates  sometimes 
spatters  our  neighbors. 

And  still  the  ocean  is  grand !  The  dark  blue  sea, 
tossed  up  by  the  winds,  is  rolling  vast  waves  to  and 
fro.      Whitecaps    are    everywhere.      We    are    rising    and 


74  NEW   ZHVLAND 

falling  upon  green  hills  dotted  with  fo;im  and  blanketed 
in  places  with  white.  Great  billows  are  chasing  one 
another  like  race  horses  over  the  roads  of  the  ocean ;  they 
roar  with  the  thunder  of  a  Niagara. 

Now  the  waves  meet,  and  the  foam  dashes  up  in  a  spray 
which  the  sun  catches  and  turns  into  rainbows.  The  sun 
is  low  in  the  heavens,  making  the  rainbows  extend  straight 
out  from  the  ship.  They  are  so  close  that  we  can  almost 
wash  our  fingers  in  them.  They  come  and  they  go ;  they 
dance  in  and  dance  out ;  they  ride  as  it  were  on  the  crest 
of  the  waves  ;  they  shine  a  moment  and  then  give  place  to 
others. 

How  the  ship  struggles  and  creaks!  The  timbers  seem 
to  be  breaking  as  we  strain  our  way  onward.  Now  the 
clouds  have  swallowed  the  sun,  and  we  are  enveloped  in 
mist.  The  fog  horn  blows  every  few  minutes.  Suppose 
we  should  have  a  collision  and  go  down  in  this  cold,  awful 
storm  ! 

Now  it  is  night.  The  wind  has  increased,  and  the  roll- 
ing is  greater  than  ever.  We  tie  our  trunks  fast  in  the 
cabins,  and  hold  tight  to  keep  from  being  thrown  from 
our  berths.  We  are  tossed  about  all  night,  but  the  ship 
struggles  onward.  At  last  morning  breaks,  the  sea  is 
quieter,  the  motion  decreases,  and  finally  there  is  none  at 
all.  We  spring  out  of  bed  and  look  through  the  port- 
holes. We  are  at  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Bluff  at  the 
southern  end  of  New  Zealand. 

Before  going  ashore,  let  us  glance  at  the  map  to  see 
where  we  are.  We  are  southeast  of  Tasmania,  so  far 
away  that  our  steamer  has  taken  almost  four  days  to  reach 
here.     We  are  more  than  twelve  hundred  miles  from  Aus- 


NEW   ZEALAND 


75 


tralia,  and  it  would  take  the  greater  part  of  a  week  to  sail 
back  to  Sydney. 

New  Zealand,  although  its  people  are  English  and  much 
like  the  Australians,  is  a  country  of  itself,  with  its  own 
government  and  its  own  peculiarities.  It  is  an  archipel- 
ago of  two  large  islands  and  many  small  ones.     The  chief 


Tasman  Glacier. 

part  of  the  group  is  like  a  great  boot,  with  the  sole  turned 
toward  the  Equator  and  the  toes  toward  Australia.  It 
consists  of  North  Island,  South  Island,  and  Stewart  Island. 
North  Island  is  the  foot  of  the  boot.  South  Island  its  leg, 
and  little  Stewart  Island,  opposite  where  we  now  are,  is  the* 
loop  through  which  one  puts  his  finger  to  pull  the  boot  on. 
This  boot  is  about  as  long  as  the  distance  from  New 
York  to  Chicago,  and  in  one  place  its  width  is  almost  equal 
to  the  distance  from  New  York  to  Boston.     North  Island 


76 


NEW   ZKALAND 


is  a  little  larger  than  Ohio,  South  Island  is  larger  than 
Michigan,  and  Stewart  Island  one  third  as  large  as  Dela- 
ware. All  are  mountainous.  North  Island  has  active 
volcanoes,  ht)t  sjjrings,  and  geysers  like  those  of  Yellow- 
stone Park,  and  in  South  Island  are  the  Southern  Alps, 
which  are  grander  in  some  respects  than  the  mountains  of 
Switzerland.      The    higher    peaks    are    clad    in   perpetual 


"—Mitre  Peak  rises  almost  precipitously  above  it." 

snow,  and  on  the  slopes  are  glaciers  grander  than  those  of 
Mont  l^lanc.  The  Tasman  Glacier  is  so  big  that  if  it  stood 
on  a  plain,  it  would  make  a  wall  of  ice  higher  than  the 
highest  church  steeple,  a  mile  wide  and  eighteen  miles 
long.  The  mountains  have  green  woods  to  the  snow  line. 
The  glaciers  extend  through  the  woods  almost  to  the  sea, 
and  when  the  sun  shines  upon  them,  they  make  you  think 
of  great  streams  of  silver  incrusted  with  diamonds. 


NEW   ZEALAND 


17 


And  then  the  fiords  or  rivers  of  the  ocean  extending  into 
the  land !  They  are  long,  narrow,  and  deep,  and  sur- 
rounded by  giant  mountains  with  waterfalls,  glaciers,  and 
snow  fields.  Milford  Sound  is  twelve  hundred  and  seventy 
feet  deep ;  and  Mitre  Peak,  a  mighty 
snow-capped  mountain,  rises  almost  pre- 
cipitously above  it. 

New  Zealand  has  a  climate  like  our 
own,  save  that  it  is  warm  in  the  north 
and  cool  in  the  south.  It  is  so  mild 
that  the  grass  is  fresh  the  year  round. 
Many  trees  hold  their  leaves ;  many 
bushes,  such  as  the  holly,  are  always 
green,  and  the  country  has  been  called 
the  evergreen  land.  The  palm  lily  grows 
to  a  height  of  twenty  feet,  shooting  out 
at  the  top  in  a  great  green  tassel  like 
the  leaves  of  a  palm.  There  are  curious 
plants,  crawling  shrubs,  and  flowers  of 
all  colors.  p^*'"!  '''y- 

And  then  the  ferns!  New  Zealand  has  enough  to  fill 
the  conservatories  of  the  world.  In  the  mountains  the 
glens  are  walled  with  them,  some  great  trees  and  others 
as  fine  as  a  maiden's  hair.  There  is  one  fern  which  is 
used  by  the  natives  for  bedding,  and  another  which  is 
half  fern,  half  vine.  It  climbs  to  the  tops  of  the  forests, 
coiling  its  wirelike  stems  about  the  branches.  The  stems 
hold  their  coil  after  plucking  and  can  be  used  for  bed 
springs.  Think  of  sleeping  on  fern  mattresses,  upon  fern 
springs,  and  you  have  one  of  the  possibilities  of  this  far- 
awav  land. 


78 


NKW   / i:\l.AND 


llow  iiboiil  wild  animals?  Siiall  \vc  tlaic  ^o  alone 
through  the  forests  ?  Yes,  New  Zealand  has  no  ferocious 
beasts,  and  its  natives  have  become  almost  civilized. 
There  are,  fortunately,  no  snakes,  and  the  lizards  are 
harmless. 

The  birds  are  most  interesting.  Swans  with  feathers 
of  velvety  black  fly  over  the  lakes,  and  the  black  parson 
bird,  which  has  white  feathers  at  its  throat  like  a  parson's 
white  necktie,  sings  in  the  bushes.     There  are  wild  ducks 

and  wild  parrots  of  dif- 
ferent kinds.  One  is 
a  green  parrot,  which 
prowls  about  at  night 
like  an  owl,  and  there 
is  a  dull-colored  one, 
which  fastens  its  claws 
into  the  wool  of  a  live 
sheep  and  tears  its  side 
open  with  its  powerful 
beak  that  it  may  get  the  kidney  fat  of  which  it  is  fond. 
This  is  the  kea  parrot.  It  has  killed  vast  numbers  of 
sheep,  and  for  this  reason  it  is  much  hunted  by  the 
farmers. 

New  Zealand  has  another  bird  which  is  found  nowhere 
else.  This  is  the  kiwi,  the  famed  bird  without  wings.  It 
is  about  as  big  as  a  common  chicken,  with  brown,  hairlike 
feathers  and  a  long,  sharp  bill  with  which  it  can  dig  down 
into  the  earth  for  w^orms.  The  kiwi  is  almost  blind  in  the 
daytime,  but  it  sees  well  at  night.  It  lives  in  the  fern 
beds,  and  when  hunted  hides  in  the  crevices  of  the 
rocks. 


Parson  bird. 


A   VISIT  TO   A    MEA1'-FREEZIN(J   FACTORY 


79 


The  kiwi  is  supposed  to  be  the  last  of  the  many  wing- 
less birds  which  New  Zealand  had  in  past  ages,  at  which 
time  there  were  some 
twice  as  big  as  the  big- 
gest ostrich.  One  spe- 
cies of  this  kind  was  the 
moa,  which  grew  so  tall 
that,  did  it  live  now,  it 
could  not  stand  upright 
in  the  ordinary  school- 
room. It  laid  eggs  as 
big  as  a  football,  with 
shells  as  thick  as  the 
cover  of  this  book.  The 
skeletons  and  eggs  of 
such  birds  have  been 
found,  and  we  can  see  some  in  the  museum  at  Christ- 
church,  where  we  may  stop  on  our  way  north. 


Kiwis. 


O>»<0 


II.    A  VISIT  TO  A  MEAT-FREEZING  FACTORY 


WE  take  the  train  at  Bluff  and  go  northward  along 
the  east  coast.  The  land  is  rolling,  with  valleys 
and  plains.  Now  the  mountains  are  afar  off  on  our  left, 
and  now  close  to  the  sea.  We  ride  for  miles  through 
fields  fenced  with  green  hedges.  They  contain  rich  crops 
and  meadows  on  which  fat  sheep  and  cattle  are  feeding. 
The  farmhouses  arc  small,  wooden  buildings  roofed  with 
galvanized  iron.     There  are  no  barns,  for  the  animals  can 


8o  m;w  /.kaland 

graze  out  of  doors  all  the  year  roiiiul.  Here  and  there  is 
a  haystack  covered  witli  thatch.  Some  ot  the  horses  have 
blankets  to  shield  them  from  the  rain. 

We  pass  through  small  towns  not  unlike  those  of  our 
country.  Nearly  every  house  has  a  garden  about  it,  sepa- 
rated from  the  street  by  a  green  hedge.  We  stop  off  a 
day  at  Dunedin,  a  thriving  city  of  si.xty  thousand  people. 
It  has  all  modern  improvements,  and  is  on  a  good  harbor. 
P""rom  there  we  go  northward  to  Christchurch,  another 
good  town  of  about  the  same  size. 

How  rich  the  land  is,  and  how  fat  the  cattle  and  sheep  ! 
W'e  thought  the  farms  good  on  our  way  to  Dunedin  ;  but 
we  are  now  on  the  Canterbury  Plains,  one  of  the  richest 
parts  of  New  Zealand  and  in  the  best  sheep  lands  upon 
earth.  New  Zealand  has  many  millions  of  sheep,  enough 
to  give  more  than  a  hundred  to  its  every  family  and  leave 
thousands  to  spare. 

The  sheep  here  are  different,  however,  from  those  of 
Australia,  where  the  climate  and  grasses  are  just  suited 
for  making  fine  wool.  The  moist  air  and  rich  vegetation 
of  New  Zealand  are  better  for  mutton,  and  the  sheep  are 
reared  more  for  their  meat,  their  carcasses  being  frozen 
and  sent  in  cold  storage  chambers  to  England.  New 
Zealand  leads  all  countries  in  its  product  of  mutton.  It 
rears  millions  of  sheep  every  year  for  the  people  of  Eng- 
land, and  has  a  fleet  of  steamers  always  sailing  back  and 
forth  across  the  waters  to  and  from  London.  Some  of 
the  ships  go  about  South  America,  others  about  South 
Africa,  and  others  through  the  Isthmus  of  Suez  and  across 
the  Mediterranean  Sea  to  Europe.  The  distance  is  great, 
but  so  many  sheep  are  sent  that  New  Zealand  mutton  can 


A   VISIT   TO   A    MKAT-I'KEEZING    FACTORY  8 1 

be  sold  at  a  lower  price  in  London  than  that  raised  in  Eng- 
land itself. 

It  is  a  common  expression  that  you  can  not  get  blood 
out  of  a  turnip,  but  the  New  Zealanders  know  how  to  do 
so.  Indeed,  the  dehcious  chops  we  have  at  the  hotels 
come  from  turnip-fed  mutton.  All  the  way  from  Bluff  we 
have  been  passing  turnip  fields,  in  some  of  which  the 
sheep  were  eating  the  leaves  and  in  others  where  they  ap- 
peared to  be  playing  ball,  the  cropped-off  turnips  looking 
like  thousands  of  new  baseballs  scattered  over  the  black 
ground.  After  the  leaves  are  consumed,  the  sheep  eat  the 
white  roots.  They  dig  them  out  of  the  ground  and  bite 
away  until  nothing  is  left.  Some  farniers  dig  up  the  tur- 
nips and  feed  them  outside,  burying  them  in  pits  or  mounds 
for  food  when  the  grass  becomes  scarce. 

Christchurch,  where  we  are  now,  has  great  meat-freez- 
ing factories  in  which  the  mutton  is  prepared  for  the 
market.  We  drive  out  to  an  establishment  which  kills 
about  five  thousand  sheep  every  day  during  the  season. 
The  sheep  are  enticed  into  the  factory  by  several  old 
decoy  sheep,  which  are  kept  to  lead  their  brothers  to 
slaughter.  The  decoys  start  the  procession,  and  the  thou- 
sands behind  follow  them  up  the  roadway  to  the  killing 
rooms,  where  the  decoys  are  sent  back  for  more. 

The  sheep  are  killed  and  dressed,  and  then  frozen  for 
shi]:)ment  to  England.  We  go  with  the  manager  into  one 
of  the  freezing  rooms.  How  cold  it  is  !  The  temperature 
is  not  far  from  zero,  and  the  wails  are  coated  with  snow. 
Carcasses  of  mutton  hang  in  long  rows  from  the  ceiling. 
There  are  thousands  of  them  here  in  this  room.  They 
were  i)iil  in  three  clays  ago,  and  they  are  already  frozen  as 


82  NKW   ZEALAND 

hard  as  so  many  stones.  Strike  one  with  your  pencil.  It 
sounds  like  a  tap  on  a  drum  head.  Take  down  a  carcass 
and  rest  it  on  the  floor.  It  is  so  stiff  that  it  stands  alone. 
It  is  now  ready  for  shipment,  and  needs  onlvto  be  inclosed 
in  a  bag  of  white  cotton  before  starting  on  its  long  voyage 
to  London. 

A  few  moments  later  we  ride  with  a  trainload  of  mutton 
to  the  steamer  and  watch  the  men  slide  the  sheep  down 
chutes  into  the  hold  of  the  ship,  which  is  almost  as  cold  as 
the  freezing  room.  It  is  kept  so  by  machinery,  and  the 
mutton  is  still  frozen  when  it  is  landed  in  England. 


12.    WELLINGTON  — THE    HOT    SPRINGS 
COUNTRY  — AMONG   THE    MAORIS 

WE  are  in  Wellington,  the  capital  of  New  Zealand. 
How  the  wind  roars  around  the  corners  and  tears 
through  the  streets!  The  hills  back  of  the  city  give  but 
little  protection,  and  we  seem  to  be  in  the  cave  of  /Eolus, 
the  god  of  the  winds.  Wellington  is  one  of  the  stormiest 
towns  south  of  the  Equator.  It  is  situated  at  the  lower 
end  of  Cook  Strait,  which  is  so  windy  that  it  has  been 
called  the  Windpipe  of  the  Pacific.  Were  it  not  for  the 
excellent  harbor,  ships  could  not  land,  and  even  as  it  is 
great  wooden  docks  have  been  built  to  protect  them. 

Wellington  has  good  streets,  fine  public  buildings,  ex- 
cellent stores,  and  comfortable  houses.  It  is  here  that 
parliament  meets,  and  here  live  the  chief  officials  (jf  tin- 
country.     New  Zealand   is  a  British  colony,  and  as  such 


WEI,I,IXGT()N  — AMONG  THE   MAORIS 


83 


"We  are  in  Wellington,  the  capital  of  New  Zealand." 

it  has  a  governor  appointed  by  the  king  of  England.  The 
governor,  however,  has  not  much  power ;  the  people  make 
their  own  laws  and  elect  those  who  execute  them.  In  New 
Zealand  every  one  votes,  women  as  well  as  men.  The 
telegraphs  and  railroads  belong  to  the  government,  which 
does  everything  it  can  to  help  the  people.  It  gives  low 
rates  on  the  railroads  to  laboring  men,  school  children, 
and  school  excursions.  There  is  a  government  savings 
bank  at  every  post  office,  and  when  poor  working  people 
become  too  old  to  labor,  the  government  gives  them  a 
pension. 

We  must  not  think,  however,  that  the  New  Zealanders 
are  generally  poor.  They  are  about  as  well  off  as  any 
people  on  earth.  Their  country  is  one  of  many  resources. 
It  has  rich  wheat  farms,  stock  farms,  and  dairies  which 


84  N'l-W    /i:  A  LAND 

make  IhiUlm-  for  1  jii;laiul.  It  has  woolen  mills  and  other 
factories.  Coal  aiul  iron  are  lound  in  the  mountains,  and 
in  places  along  the  sea  the  earth  has  flour  gold  and  grains 
of  gold.  The  gold  is  gathered  by  throwing  the  dirt  into 
water,  Avhich  is  made  to  flow  over  tables  covered  with 
mercury  or  rough  cloth.  The  gold  is  taken  up  by  the 
mercury,  or  caught  on  the  nap  of  the  cloth,  and  thus 
saved. 

New  Zealand  is  rich  in  fine  timber,  including  the  kauri 
pine,  a  magnificent  tree  with  a  gray  bark  which  grows 
from  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet  high.  The  kauri  is  used 
for  building  and  cabinet  work,  and  from  its  gum  the 
finest  varnish  is  made.  The  best  kauri  gum  is  like  ambier. 
It  lasts  after  the  tree  dies,  and  great  lumps  of  it  are  found 
in  the  swamps  wherever  the  forests  have  been.  Thou- 
sands of  men  go  over  the  country  with  spears  and  j)icks 
hunting  it.  They  thrust  their  spears  into  tlie  earth  to 
ascertain  where  the  Iumi)S  are  and  then  dig  them  out. 
Within  a  half  century  about  fifty  million  dollars'  worth  of 
kauri  gum  has  been  sold. 

We  leave  Wellington  by  sea,  steaming  out  through 
Cook  Strait,  and  then  along  the  shores  of  the  north  islantl 
to  New  Plymouth,  where  we  anchor  under  the  shadow  of 
Mount  Egmont,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  New  Zea- 
land peaks.  It  is  an  extinct  volcano  almost  cone  shaped, 
its  lower  slopes  clad  with  green  forest  and  its  top  with  per- 
petual snow.  We  do  not  try  to  climb  it,  but  go  on  with 
our  steamer  to  Auckland,  which  is  the  largest  city  of  New 
Zealand,  although  Christchurch  and  Dunedin  are  almost 
as  large.  Auckland  lies  on  an  isthmus  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Eden,  which  is  six  hundred  feet  high  ;  it  is  not  far 


WELLINGTON  — AMONG   THE    MAORIS  8$ 

from  the  mouth  of  the  Waikato  River,  the  chief  stream  of 
the  archipelago. 

We  cHmb  the  mountain  for  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the 
country.  How  beautiful  it  is !  The  sea  spotted  with 
green  islands  stretches  away  on  both  sides  of  us  as  far 
as   our   eyes    can    reach.     Just   below   lies   Auckland,   its 


"—we  anchor  under  the  shadow  of  Mount  Egmont." 

streets  filled  with  traffic,  and  its  harbor  with  shipping 
from  Australia,  San  Francisco,  the  Fiji  Islands,  and  other 
parts  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Behind  the  city  and  north 
and  south  of  us  are  rich  farms  and  gardens,  and  away  off 
in  the  distance  are  volcanic  hills  and  mountains  covered 
with  woods. 

The  hill  on  which  we  are  standing  is  a  dead  volcano ; 
we  are  on  the  very  edge  of  a  crater  about  sixty  feet  deep. 
It  is  quiet  now,  but  from  this  very  earth  once  burst  forth 


86  NKW  zi:ai.anI) 

steam,  ashes,  lava,  and  red-hot  stones.  Ahnost  the  whole  of 
this  island  is  volcanic,  and  it  is  now  only  a  few  years  since 
a  mountain,  not  more  than  a  day's  ride  by  train  from 
where  we  now  are,  burst  oi)en  and  sent  forth  a  volume 
of  ashes  and  mud  which  destroyed  the  \'illages  about  it, 
just  as  Vesuvius  destroyed  Pompeii  centuries  ago.  There 
was  a  lake  near  the  mountain  which  was  blown  out,  and  a 
roaring  crater,  which  sent  uj:)  columns  of  steam  to  a  height 
of  three  miles,  took  its  place.  The  earth  broke  open,  jnak- 
ing  one  crack  nine  miles  long.  The  sun  was  so  hidden  by 
ashes  and  dust  that  it  became  dark  at  midday,  and  there 
was  a  rain  of  hot  water,  boiling  mud,  and  red-hot  stones. 
This  volcano  is  Mount  Tarawera,  situated  in  the  Hot  Lake 
district  where  we  are  going.  It  is  quiet  now,  although 
the  whole  region  about  it  is  always  more  or  less  dan- 
gerous. 

We  leave  Auckland  on  the  cars  and  ride  all  day  long 
through  farms  where  fat  cattle  and  sheep  are  feeding. 
The  country  is  rolling  and  there  are  numerous  streams. 
It  makes  us  think  of  the  grass  lands  of  Kentucky,  except 
where  the  soil  has  been  turned  up  for  planting.  In  such 
places  lumps  of  lava  are  scattered  over  the  fields,  and  in 
others  they  have  been  gathered  up  and  made  into  fences. 
The  lava  increases  as  we  go  farther  south,  until  at  last  we 
come  into  the  Hot  Lake  region,  a  tract  about  one  hundred 
miles  long,  containing  two  million  acres. 

How  the  earth  rumbles  and  grumbles  as  our  train 
passes  over  it !  Steam  is  oozing  out  of  the  ground  on 
each  side  of  the  track,  and  we  tremble  le.st  the  crust  may 
break  and  drop  us  into  the  bubbling,  boiling,  seething 
mass,  which  apparently  lies  not  far  below.     We  pass  the 


WELLINGTON— AMONG  THE    MAORIS  87 

village  of  Koiitu,  which  is  almost  hidden  in  steam,  skirt  a 
great  lake  with  jets  of  steam  bursting  forth  from  its  banks, 
and  stop  at  last  at  Rotorua,  the  chief  town  of  New 
Zealand's  hot  springs. 

Here  there  are  hotels  and  numerous  cottages.  People 
from  all  parts  of  the  southern  Pacific  come  to  bathe  in  the 
springs  for  their  health,  and  there  are  great  bath  houses 
containing  pools  of  this  hot,  bad-smelling  water. 

We  leave  our  valises  at  the  hotel  and  go  with  a  guide 
on  foot  and  on  horseback  from  one  wonder  to  another. 
There  are  geysers  of  steam  and  water.  Here  is  a  pool 
of  boiling,  bubbling  mud,  which  now  and  then  shoots  a 
column  high  into  the  air,  and  there  is  another  which  is 
always  sending  up  what  looks  like  paint.  The  earth  is 
everywhere  steaming.  We  step  over  steam  cracks,  and, 
staff  in  hand,  follow  our  guide  through  volumes  of  steam 
so  thick  that  we  can  hardly  breathe. 

Now  we  have  left  Rotorua  and  have  come  to  Tikitere, 
twelve  miles  away.  We  have  tied  our  horses  and  are 
going  through  the  steam  to  where  a  score  of  great  pits 
are  sending  up  boiling  water  and  mud.  Look  down  into 
that  whirlpool  on  your  right !  The  water  is  black,  and  it 
steams  and  bubbles  and  spits.  Be  careful !  If  your  foot 
slips,  you  may  fall  in  and  be  scalded  to  death. 

Let  us  go  on.  What  a  vile  smell  comes  up  with  the 
vapor  out  of  that  pool  at  our  feet !  It  has  a  rim  of  bright 
yellow,  and  its  smell  is  like  sulphur.  That  is  a  sulphur  pool ; 
we  can  taste  the  brimstone  as  we  stoop  over  it.  It  seems 
full  of  boiling  mud,  and  we  can  hardly  see  down  through 
the  steam. 

Now  the  ground  has  changed  from  yellow  to  white  ;  it 


88 


Ni:\V    ZKAl.AXl) 


looks  like  sail.  W'c  pirk  up  ;l  bit  of  the  earth  and  taste  it. 
How  it  puckers  our  mouths!  It  is  as  though  we  had  bitten 
into  an  unripe  persimmon.  The  stuff  is  not  salt;  it  is  alum. 
There  are  bushels  of  alum  mixed  with  the  other  minerals 
that  come  up  from  the  springs.  Some  pools  send  up  clouds 
of  steam  which  smell  like  camphor,  and  others  throw  up 
mud  or  water  in  which  are  salt,  potash,  and  various  acids. 


"  —  the  steam  coming  through  does  the  cooking." 

Some  of  the  springs  are  cooler  than  others  and  just 
right  for  bathing.  They  cure  rheumatism,  gout,  sore 
throat,  and  various  skin  diseases.  They  were  used  long 
ago  by  the  aborigines  or  native  New  Zealanders,  and  now 
the  P'nglish  have  erected  bath  houses  over  them  and  built 
swimming  vats.  The  Blue  Bath,  for  instance,  is  as  big  as 
a  city  lot,  and  so  hot  we  gasp  for  breath  as  we  let  our- 
selves down  into  it.  "The  Coffee  Pot"  bath  contains 
a  hot,  thick,  brown  fluid,  covered  with  an  oily  scum  good 
for  rheumatism,  and  "  The  Painkiller "  and  others  are 
supposed  to  take  away  pain. 


WELLINGTON  —  AMONG   THE   MAORIS 


89 


There  are  many  Maori  chiklren  bathing;  iii  llie  pools 
outside  tiie  bath  houses.  The  Maoris  are  the  native  New 
Zealanders ;  they  have  homes  in  this  region,  Uving  here 
that  they  may  have  heat  without  the  trouble  of  making 
a  fire.  They  build  their  cabins  near  the  boiling  pools, 
and  cook  their   meals  on   the  steam   coming   up   through 


"We  are  interested  in  watching  the  natives." 

the  earth  in  their  backyards.  Each  woman  has  a  steaming 
box  of  her  own  sunk  in  the  earth  over  one  of  the  little 
steam  holes  or  in  one  of  the  pools.  The  box  has  only  slats 
on  the  bottom.  The  food  is  placed  on  the  slats,  a  piece  of 
carpet  or  bagging  is  thrown  over  it,  and  the  steam  com- 
ing through  does  the  cooking.  Meat,  eggs,  and  potatoes 
are  steamed  in  this  way,  and  in  late  years  even  Christmas 
plum  puddings  are  thus  cooked  on  these  little  volcanoes. 
We  are  interested  in  watching  the  natives  and  learning 

OUR    COLUNIES  —  6 


90 


NEW   ZKAl.AND 


Maori  woman  and  child. 


about  [hem.  Tlic  origin  of  the  Maoris  is  a  mystery, 
but  scholars  think  they  originated  in  India  or  Central 
Asia.  They  are  far  more  intelligent  and  more  civ- 
ilized than  the  native  Australians,  and  a  finer  people  in 

every  way.  They  have  brown 
skins,  high  cheek  bones,  and 
noses  much  like  our  own.  The 
men  are  tall  and  broad  shoul- 
dered, with  big  hands  and  feet. 
The  women  are  often  good 
looking,  or  would  be  so  if  they 
did  not  tattoo  their  foreheads, 
chins,  and  lips  with  blue  and  red 
ink.  In  former  times  both  men 
and  women  went  almost  naked, 
and  they  then  tattooed  many 
parts  of  their  bodies ;  but  since  the  English  came,  they 
have  adopted  our  clothing,  and  tattooing  is  now  dying  out. 
When  Captain  Cook  landed  in  New  Zealand,  there  were 
many  Maoris.  They  were  divided  up  into  tribes,  each 
having  its  own  priests,  chiefs,  middle  classes,  common 
people,  and  slaves.  They  had  their  own  religion  and  lan- 
guage. The  men  were  fishers  and  hunters,  and  the  women 
took  care  of  the  houses,  made  the  clothing  for  the  family, 
and  worked  in  the  fields.  Some  were  cannibals,  and  the 
different  tribes  were  always  warring  upon  one  another. 

After  the  Maoris  were  conquered  by  the  English,  they  em- 
braced Christianity,  and  they  are  now  nearly  all  Christians. 
They  have  their  own  schools,  and  live  in  villages  on  reser- 
vations in  the  two  larger  islands.  They  are  governed  by 
chief.s,  but  are  also  subject  to  the  laws  of  New  Zealand, 


NEW   CALEDONIA   AND   OTHER   FRENCH    ISLANDS        9 1 

13.     NEW   CALEDONIA   AND   OTHER   FRENCH 
ISLANDS 

WE  have  left  Auckland  and  are  on  our  way  to  New 
Caledonia,  a  large  island  belonging  to  France, 
about  seven  hundred  miles  off  the  eastern  coast  of  Aus- 
tralia. The  weather  has  been  growing  warmer  ever  since 
we  left  Auckland.  We  are  sailing  over  summer  seas  in  a 
climate  similar  to  that  inside  the  Great  Barrier  Reef.  We 
pass  Norfolk  Island,  an  unimportant  possession  of  Eng- 
land, go  by  atolls  with  cocoanut  palms  growing  upon  them, 
and  as  we  approach  New  Caledonia,  steam  slowly  to  avoid 
the  coral  rocks  and  reefs  which  almost  surround  it.  The 
reefs  are  a  few  miles  out  from  the  shore,  many  of  them 
reaching  not  quite  to  the  surface.  The  captain  consults 
his  chart  every  few  minutes,  and  he  almost  stops  the 
engine  as  we  go  through  an  opening  in  the  reef,  which 
leads  to  the  beautiful  harbor  of  Noumea  (ndo-ma'a),  the 
capital  of  New  Caledonia. 

Noumea  lies  on  the  western  side  of  the  island,  right  on 
the  sea,  with  high  mountains  rising  behind  it.  Its  little 
houses  are  of  wood  roofed  with  galvanized  iron  ;  many  of 
them  have  wide  porches  and  are  well  shaded  by  palms  and 
other  tropical  trees. 

The  French  officers  come  out  to  the  ship  and  look  us 
over  before  giving  us  permission  to  go  upon  shore.  New 
Caledonia  is  a  convict  settlement,  and  visitors  are  carefully 
watched.  Thieves  and  other  criminals  from  France  are 
sent  here  for  punishment;  they  are  made  to  work,  guarded 
by  soldiers,  and  the  island   is   under   military   rule.     The 


92         NEW   CALEDONIA    AND   orilEK    IKKNCII    ISLANDS 

very  worst  criminals  are  taken  to  the  Isle  of  Pines,  a  little 
coral  spot  on  the  sea  about  thirty  miles  southward,  where 
prisoners  can  not  escape  except  by  boat.  The  other 
convicts  are  scattered  over  New  Caledonia,  some  in  peni- 
tentiaries, but  more  at  work  on  farms  and  in  the  houses. 
Many  convicts  by  diligence  and  good  behavior  have  earned 


"Noumea  lies  right  on  the  sea." 

the  right  to  have  farms  for  themselves,  and  some  remain 
on  the  island  after  finishing  their  sentences. 

We  spend  a  while  in  Noumea  practicing  our  French  on 
the  storekeepers,  changing  our  shillings  and  pence  into 
francs  and  sous.  We  buy  some  of  the  curious  weapons 
used  by  the  natives,  and  enjoy  the  bananas,  pineapples, 
oranges,  and  cocoanuts,  which  cost  so  little  that  we  can  get 
all  we  want  to  eat  for  a  very  few  sous. 

Wc  call  upon  the  governor,  and  by  his  assistance  make 


NEW    CALEDONIA   AND    OTHER    FRENCH    ISLANDS         93 

a  trip  iiilo  the  iiitcrioi",  goiiii;  liom  villay,c  to  village  visiting 
the  natives.  We  learn  that  New  Caledonia  is  quite  large. 
It  is  as  wide  as  Porto  Rico,  and  more  than  twice  as  long. 

Noumea  has  many  native  tribes ;  some  of  them  are  of 
the  Papuan  Race,  of  which  we  shall  see  more  as  we  go  on 
with  our  journey.  The  Papuans  inhabit  New  Guinea  and 
many  of  the  smaller  islands  of  the  Pacific.  They  are  far 
different  from  the  Australians,  and  not  at  all  like  the 
Malays,  from  whom  come  our  little  brown  cousins  of  the 
Philippine  Islands.  They  have  dark  faces,  frizzly  hair, 
and  in  features  are  more  like  negroes  than  white  men. 
They  wear  but  few  clothes,  some  of  them  going  almost 
naked. 

The  different  Papuan  tribes  vary  somewhat  in  appear- 
ance and  customs.  Here  in  Caledonia  they  are  hospitable 
and  quiet  among  themselves,  although  they  have  frequent 
wars  with  their  neighbors.  Each  tribe  has  its  chief  who 
acts  as  ruler  and  leads  in  its  wars.  The  people  live  in 
villages  of  circular  houses,  each  of  which  has  a  top  like  a 
cone.  The  houses  are  made  of  wood  and  thatched  with 
grass  and  leaves.  They  have  narrow  doors  and  no  chim- 
neys, so  that  when  we  visit  them  the  smoke  makes  our 
eyes  smart.  We  ask  one  of  the  chiefs  why  he  does  not 
have  chimneys ;  and  he  replies  that  the  smoke  does  no 
harm,  and  it  keeps  out  the  mosquitoes. 

We  learn  that  the  island  has  excellent  timber,  including 
the  kauri  and  other  pine  trees  which  we  saw  in  New  Zea- 
land. There  are  mines  in  the  mountains  not  far  from  the 
coast,  which  yield  coal,  iron,  and  copper,  and  also  nickel 
and  cobalt  used  for  plating  iron  and  other  metals.  In  the 
lowlands  the   French   have  established  sugar,  tobacco,  and 


94 


NF.W   CAI.r.DoNlA   AND   DTIIF.R    rUFXCII    ISLANDS 


codec  plantations,  and  i  ic  c  and  coin  arc  also  mown.  They 
have  pretty  little  one-story  houses  of  wood  roofed  with 
galvanized  iron.  They  have  large  pastures  and  fine  cattle 
and  sheep.  The  island  is  healthful,  and  were  it  not  for 
the  convicts,  it  might  make  a  pleasant  home. 


"They  have  pretty  httle  one-story  houses  of  wood  roofed  with  galvanized  iron." 

The  French  own  also  the  Loyalty  Islands  and  some 
islets  not  far  from  New  Caledonia  ;  but  their  population 
is  small,  and  they  are  not  of  enough  importance  for  us 
to  go  out  of  our  way  to  look  at  them. 

We  shall  not  be  able  to  v'isit  the  Society  Islands,  the 
Marquesas  (mar-ka'sas),  and  the  many  other  little  islands 
which  form  the  Paumotu  (pa-oo-mo'too)  and  other  archi- 
pelagoes lying  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  northeast  of  New 
Zealand.  These  islands  all  belong  to  the  French,  and 
they  are  governed  by  a   French    governor   who    lives   at 


NEW   GUINEA  95 

Papeiti  (pa-pa-e'te)  in  Tahiti  (ta'he-tc),  the  largest  of  the 
Society  Group. 

These  French  islands  are  of  but  little  importance. 
Their  only  export  of  value  is  copra  or  dried  cocoanut 
meat,  which  is  extensively  used  in  soap  making,  and  their 
people  are  few  in  number  and  rather  lazy  than  otherwise. 
They  are  not  unlike  the  natives  of  the  Samoan  and  Ton- 
gan  islands,  among  whom  we  shall  travel  later  on.  They 
have  dark  brown  complexions,  broad  noses,  rather  thick 
lips,  and  beautiful  teeth.  The  men  are  tall  and  well 
formed,  and  the  women  are  fine  looking.  They  were 
formerly  cannibals,  but  many  of  them  are  now  Chris- 
tians. 

14.     NEW  GUINEA 

CONSIDERING  Australia  a  continent,  New  Guinea 
is,  next  to  Greenland,  the  largest  island  on  the 
globe.  It  is  longer  than  the  distance  from  New  York  to 
Omaha,  and  its  width  in  places  is  as  great  as  the  distance 
from  Boston  to  Washington.  It  would  make  more  than 
seven  states  the  size  of  Kentucky,  and  about  thirty-eight 
as  big  as  Massachusetts. 

Turn  to  your  map  and  look  at  it.  What  is  it  like  ?  A 
crocodile  .''  Yes,  a  little ;  but  more  like  a  gigantic  bird 
squatting  on  the  Arafura  Sea  and  Torres  Strait,  its  island- 
feathered  tail  extending  eastward  into  the  Pacific,  and 
its  ragged  head  about  to  swallow  some  of  the  islands  of 
the  Malay  Archipelago. 

This  vast  country  was  discovered  by  Menezes,  a  Portu- 
guese   navigator,    in     1526,    only    thirty-four   years   after 


96 


NEW    GUINEA  97 

Columbus  discovered  America,  but  for  centuries  it  lay 
unexplored  and  unclaimed.  In  1848  the  Dutch,  who  had 
been  surveying  the  coast,  took  formal  possession  of  the 
western  portion  of  it,  and  in  1884  the  English  and  the  Ger- 
mans claimed  the  remainder.  The  Dutch  still  have  the 
whole  western  half  of  the  island;  while  the  eastern  half, 
comprising  the  former  German  territorv'  and  the  British 
territory  south  of  it,  form  the  Territory  of  Papua  under  the 
control  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Australia.  Each  nation 
is  gradually  exploring  its  territory,  and  in  time  we  shall 
learn  all  about  the  country. 

At  present  we  know  only  that  it  is  a  wild  land  of  high 
mountains,  great  rivers,  and  low,  fever-laden  plains.  The 
Charles  Louis  A-Iountains  in  Dutch  New  Guinea  have 
peaks  so  high  that,  although  they  lie  close  to  the  Equator, 
they  are  clad  in  perpetual  snow.  They  are  said  to  have 
the  highest  peaks  between  the  Himalayas  and  the  Andes. 
Ranges  in  the  Territory  of  Papua  are  almost  as  high,  and 
here  is  one  peak  which  is  more  than  thirteen  thousand  feet 
high.  Each  country  has  great  rivers  which  have  built 
up  vast  deltas  and  plains.  The  Fly  River  in  the  Territory 
of  Papua  is  a  mighty  stream  up  which  boats  have  gone  for 
more  than  six  hundred  miles. 

Nearly  all  of  New  Guinea  is  covered  with  forests.  The 
vegetation  is  so  thick  that  it  would  take  us  months  to 
make  our  way  through  it  from  one  side  of  the  island  to 
the  other.  The  trees  are  much  the  same  as  those  we 
saw  in  Australia,  but  so  dense  that  the  leaves  shut  out 
the  sun,  and  so  bound  together  with  creepers  and  rattans 
Ihat  we  should  be  ol)ligc(l  I0  cul  a  path  from  one  place 
to  another  through  the  tangled  undergrowth. 


gS  NKW  r.UINKA 

There  are  many  poisonous  snakes  in  the  forests,  and  also 
savage  tribes  hostile  to  white  men.  The  dangers  are  so 
many  and  travel  is  so  difficult  that  we  shall  confine  our 
journeys  to  the  coast.  Port  Moresby  is  the  ca])ital  of  the 
Territory  of  Papua,  or  British  New  Guinea,  and  .we  can 
there  learn  all  that  is  known  about  the  island. 

In  coming  to  New  Guinea  from  New  Caledonia  we  are 
in  the  coral  seas  all  the  way.  The  Great  Barrier  Reef 
extends  almost  to  New  Guinea,  and  that  island  itself  has 
a  coral  reef  guarding  its  coast.  We  make  our  way  through 
a  break  in  the  reef,  and  wind  in  and  out  through  coral 
gardens  to  a  beautiful  harbor,  almost  surrounded  by  hills. 
There  is  a  collection  of  wooden  buildings  and  native  huts 
on  the  shore.  They  are  Port  Moresby,  the  chief  town 
of   New  Guinea  and  the  home  of  the  P^nglish  governor. 

We  go  to  the  Government  House,  built  on  a  command- 
ing site  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  harbor,  and  have  delight- 
ful chats  with  the  different  officials.  They  tell  us  that  the 
exj^loration  of  the  island  is  going  rapidly  on,  and  that  the 
different  governments  are  beginning  to  develop  their  ter- 
ritories and  civilize  the  natives.  They  are  finding  gold 
in  the  mountains  and  along  the  Fly  and  other  rivers ; 
they  are  setting  out  cocoanut  groves  and  rubber  forests, 
and  are  planting  tobacco  and  cotton. 

We  learn  that  the  natives  are  very  fond  of  tobacco,  and 
that  they  use  sticks  of  tobacco  as  money.  The  sticks  are 
as  long  as  a  lead  pencil  and  a  little  bit  thicker.  They  are 
composed  of  the  strongest  tobacco  leaves  coated  with  a 
sweet  mixture,  which  makes  them  stick  fast.  In  some 
villages  four  sticks  is  the  pav  for  a  day's  work,  and  ;v 
certain    mmihcr  will  buy  a  hatchet,  a  knife,  a  fish  net,  oi 


NEW   GUINEA 


99 


Natives  of  New  Guinea. 


a  necklace.  They  are 
taken  and  given  in  trade 
at  the  stores  of  Port 
Moresby. 

The  natives  of  New 
Guinea  are  very  inter- 
esting. They  are  Pap- 
uans, but  differ  greatly 
according  to  the  tribes 
to  which  they  belong  and  the  parts  of  New  Guinea  which 
they  inhabit. 

Some  of  them  are  said  to  be  cannibals,  but  in  general 
they  are  good  people,  affectionate  among  themselves, 
and  easily  ruled  by  the  foreigners.  They  are  more  intel- 
ligent than  the  native  Australians,  although  very  super- 
stitious, believing  in 
witches  and  ghosts.  The 
most  of  the  tribes  wor- 
ship a  great  spirit  who, 
they  think,  lives  in  the 
mountains. 

We  see  natives  about 
Port  Moresby  wearing 
clothes  much  like  ours, 
but  they  are  the  stu- 
dents of  the  mission 
school.  The  ofificials  tell 
us  that  the  people  of 
the  wilds  wear  almost  no 
clothes  whatsoever.  The  women  and  girls  of  some  tribes 
have   [)etlicoals   of    long    leaves,  grass,  or   stri])s   of   bark 


"Tlie  girls  have  petticoats  of  grass. 


lOO  Ni:\V   l.UINEA 

Strung  together  and  bound  about  the  waist  in  flounces, 
layer  on  layer.  They  have  also  necklaces  of  shells  or 
metal,  and  the  skirt  and  necklace,  with  a  coat  of  tattoo- 
ing, often  forms  the  whole  costume. 

The  native  men  wear  even  less  than  the  w^omcn.  Many 
a  one  has  only  a  necklace  and  bracelets  and  a  bit  of  cloth 
about  the  waist,  with  perhaps  a  bark  belt  or  two,  ten  inches 
wide,  bound  around  the  body.  The  belt  is  usually  tied 
very  tight,  compressing  the  waist  like  a  corset,  so  that  even 
though  the  man  be  full  grown,  his  waist  is  exceedin'gly 
slim.  We  ask  the  reason  for  such  a  custom,  and  are  told 
that  the  men  want  the  women  to  think  they  have  small 
stomachs  and  are  therefore  small  eaters.  The  woman 
provides  most  of  the  food,  and  a  young  woman  who  is 
looking  about  for  a  husband  naturally  chooses  the  man 
who  eats  least.  A  boy  on  being  asked  why  he  laced 
himself  so  tightly,  said,  "  I  do  so  because  when  I  am 
older  I  must  get  me  a  wife,  and  if  I  have  a  big  stomach, 
no  one  will  have  me."  It  is  said  that  some  of  the  tribes 
think  it  a  disgrace  for  men  to  be  fleshy,  and  the  braves  do 
all  they  can  to  keep  lean. 

In  eastern  New  Guinea  the  men  tattoo  their  bodies  and 
faces  in  hideous  fashion.  In  some  tribes  the  women  are 
tattooed  all  over,  the  ink  being  pricked  into  the  skin  with 
thorns.  The  thorn  is  dipped  into  the  ink  and  then  driven 
through  the  skin  with  a  Httle  mallet.  Such  dressmaking 
is  slow,  but  a  suit  once  made  lasts  a  lifetime. 

Each  tribe  has  its  own  way  of  combing  the  hair,  and  the 
headdress  often  indicates  the  state  of  the  man  or  woman 
who  wears  il.  V(n-  instance,  you  may  know  whether  a 
woman  is  n)arried  or  single  by  a  look  at  her  head,  for  girls 


I 


NEW    GUINEA 


lOI 


shave  their   heads  close   to   the  scalp  upon  beuig   wedded, 
and  keep  it  so  shaved  for  the  rest  of  their  lives. 

The  men  of  some  regions  dress  their  hair  so  that  it 
stands  out  all  over  the  head,  and  in  others  they  thread  the 
hair  through  many  little  bamboo  tubes  or  pipes,  so  that  it 
looks  like  great  tas- 
sels. 

Many  natives 
pierce  their  ears,  and 
some  thrust  sticks 
and  other  ornaments 
through  their  noses. 
Indeed,  the  odd  cus- 
toms are  as  many 
and  as  different  as 
the  tribes,  and  this  is 
so  not  only  in  dress, 
but  in  the  manner 
of  living. 

In  some  villages 
the  men  dwell  in 
clubhouses  and  the 
women  in  huts  off 
by  themselves,  a  number  of  the  latter  often  being  in  one 
hut.  The  women  cook  the  food  in  the  huts  and  bring  it  to 
their  husbands  at  the  clubhouse.  There  they  lay  it  on  the 
porch,  for  women  may  not  enter  the  clubhouse,  nor  do  they 
eat  with  their  husbands.  These  clubhouses  are  of  great 
size.  They  have  a  sort  of  ridge  roof  thatched  with  straw 
or  leaves,  which  makes  them  look  like  immense  hayricks. 
There  are  no  windows,  and  the  smoke  gets  out  as  it  can. 


"  These  clubhouses  are  of  great  size." 


I02 


NEW   GUINEA 


111  parts  of  New  Guinea  llu;  men  and  women  live 
together  in  apartment  houses.  Such  a  house  may  be 
five  hundred  feet  long  and  sixty  feet  wide,  and  may 
contain  as  many  as  fifty  families.  It  is  divided  up  by  little 
partitions  into  stalls  or  pens,  opening  upon  a  central  hall. 
Each  family  has  its  own  stall ;  in  it  the  cooking  is  done, 
and  there  all  sleep  at  night.     The  apartment  houses  are 

made  of  a  frame- 
work of  poles,  roofed 
with  grass  or  the 
leaves  of  palms  and 
bananas. 

We  are  delighted 
with  the  native  chil- 
dren. They  have 
their  own  sports. 
The  girls  have  odd- 
looking  dolls,  the 
boys  play  leapfrog 
and  games,  and  alto- 
gether they  have  as 
much  fun  as  we  do 

"  —  the  boys  play  leapfrog  and  games."  ^^  homC 

One  of  the  oddest  things  in  New  Guinea  is  the  cradle, 
which  is  made  of  the  fiber  of  the  banana  plant  knitted 
into  a  bag.  The  baby  is  put  in  the  bag  and  hung  to  a 
pole  in  the  roof  or  in  a  tree  outside  the  hut,  and  swung  off 
to  sleep.  When  the  mother  goes  away,  she  merely  unties 
the  string  and  throws  the  cradle,  baby  and  all,  on  her  back 
and  walks  off  with  it. 

Many  of  the  native  tribes  devote  themselves  to  hunting 


NEW   GUINEA 


103 


and  fishing.  Some  make  pottery  for  sale,  and  others  have 
Httle  farms  where  they  raise  sweet  potatoes,  yams,  ba- 
nanas, and  other  tropical  fruits.  The  people  live  largely 
upon  vegetables,  but  in  many  respects  are  much  the  same 
as  the  Australians,  eating  game  and  fish,  and  also  snakes 
and  lizards,  and  worms  which  they  find  in  the  trees. 

New  Guinea  has  about 
the  same  wild  animals 
as  Australia.  It  has  ant- 
eaters,  kangaroos,  wal- 
labies, wild  pigs,  and 
dingos.  It  has  alligators 
and  turtles,  and  sharks 
swarm  the  coasts.  It  has 
ten  species  of  snakes, 
many  ants,  and  an  in- 
sect whose  bite  produces 
sores  like  pimples.  It 
has  gorgeous  butterflies 
and  the  most  beautiful 
birds  of  the  world. 

The  birds  of  New 
Guinea  are  wonderfully  "^"^  °^  ^^^  °'^^^^^  '^'"^^  '^  '^^  "^'^^^■" 
interesting.  We  see  some  in  the  woods  not  far  from  Port 
Moresby,  and  pigeons  of  various  kinds  in  the  settlement. 
The  Goura  pigeon  is  almost  as  big  as  a  hen  turkey,  and  it 
is  more  beautiful  than  a  peacock.  Its  body  is  of  a  brilliant 
light  blue  ;  its  neck  shines  like  an  opal,  and  it  has  a 
crest  of  tiny  blue  feathers  running  high  up  from  the  back 
of  its  head  which,  when  the  sun  touches  it,  shines  as  though 
it  were  set  with  jewels. 


I04  NORTHEASTERN    NEW    tJUINEA 

And  then  there  arc  the  tiniest  huniminf;  birds,  more 
l-)iiniant  than  our  humming  birds  at  home.  There  are  red 
birds  and  parrots  of  most  g()r,i;'eous  coh^rs.  There  are  cas- 
sowaries as  big  as  young  ostriches,  with  hairhke  feathers 
resembling  brown  strings,  and  with  feet  so  strong  that  a 
kick  would  break  the  skull  of  a  man.  We  see  a  young 
cassowary,  which  has  been  tamed  in  Port  Moresby,  but  are 
told  that  it  is  not  a  safe  pet,  for  it  eats  the  buttons  from 
the  workbasket,  and  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  it 
may  not  take  a  bite  out  of  the  kitten  or  peck  at  the  baby. 

The  most  beautiful  of  all  birds,  however,  is  the  bird 
of  paradise,  of  which  many  varieties  are  found  in  New 
Guinea.  This  bird  is  comparatively  small,  but  its  feathers 
are  beautiful.  The  golden  bird  of  paradise  has  si.x  long 
feathery  tips  on  its  head,  and  a  great  crest  or  crown,  which 
rises  out  of  the  middle  of  its  back,  forming  a  canopy  over 
it.  Others  of  these  birds  have  bright  red  feathers  with 
velvetlike  plumes  encircling  the  base  of  the  head,  and  tail 
feathers  which  stand  up  like  wires.  The  feathers  are  .so 
fine  that  they  are  sent  to  Europe  in  great  quantities  for 
hats  and  bonnets. 

IS.   NORTHEASTERN    NEW   GUINEA  AND 
ADJACENT   BRITISH    ISLANDS 

AS  we  go  on  from  island  to  island,  we  shall  learn  that 
almost  every  important  group  in  the  Pacific  Ocean 
belongs  either  to  the  United  vStates.  Great  Britain,  France, 
the  Netherlands,  or  Japan  We  have  seen  the  vast  i)osses- 
sions  of  the  British  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand  and  also 
in    southeastern    New    Guinea.     They   have   other   islands 


AND   ADJACENT   BRITISH    ISLANDS  IO5 

it)  l,lic  Pacific  just  to  the  cast  of  lis,  iiichulini;  tlic  iMJis,  the 
Tongas,  and  many  others  farther  away.  We  learned  some- 
thing of  what  France  owns  during  our  stay  in  New  Caledonia, 
and  now  we  are  about  to  see  some  of  the  other  British 
possessions. 

Leaving  Port  Moresby  by  steamer,  we  make  our  way  to 
the  eastward,  sailing  in  and  out  among  islands  about  the 
tail  of  New  Guinea,  and  then  coasting  northward  until 
we  come  to  what  was  formerly  Kaiser  Wilhelms  Land,  or 
German  New  Guinea,  and  the  Bismarck  Archipelago. 
During  the  World  War  these  possessions  were  taken  by  the 
British. 

The  voyage  is  through  coral  seas  all  the  way.  There  are 
many  gulls  and  other  marine  birds  flying  over  our  ship,  and 
now  and  then  we  see  flying  fish  darting  over  the  waves. 
Near  the  atolls  sharks  are  swimming,  and  great  tortoises 
float  about  in  the  water.  Many  years  ago,  we  are  told, 
whales  were  numerous  in  these  warm  seas.  We  pass  many 
low  islands  with  cocoanut  palms  growing  upon  them.  The 
coral  reefs  continue  along  the  northern  coast  of  New  Guinea 
and  also  about  New  Britain  and  other  islands  of  the 
Bismarck  Archipelago. 

Our  first  stop  is  at  Madang,  the  chief  British  port  on 
the  north  coast  of  New  Guinea  at  the  northern  end  of 
Astrolabe  Bay.  There  is  a  steamer  in  the  harbor  loading 
pearl  shells,  coffee,  and  cotton.  Custom  officers  come 
out  to  our  ship,  and  on  landing  we  find,  however,  that 
the  town  is  small  and  chiefly  inhabited  by  officials  and  men 
engaged  in  trading  or  in  managing  the  cofifee,  cotton,  and 
rubber  plantations,  and  the  cocoanut  groves  which  are 
found  near  the  coast.      Some  are  interested  in  gold  mines 


io6 


NORTHEASTERN   NEW    GUINEA 


in  the  l?isni;irtk  Moiiiiliiiiis,  llic  peaks  of  whic  h  we  sec  far 
back  at  the  south. 

The  nativ^es  here  are  much  Hke  those  we  saw  at  Port 
Moresby,  sav^e  that  they  are  if  anything;  more  wild  and 
less  anxious  to  work.  Planters  tell  us  that  they  have  to 
import  laborers  from  the  islands  near  by  and  elsewhere 
to  work  the  coffee  and  cotton. 


Many  of  the   hu:!   ■  '-iU  upon   piles.' 

Many  tribes  along;  the  north  coast,  where  it  is  so  hot, 
go  almost  naked,  although  they  may  paint  or  tattoo  their 
bodies  or  give  them  a  coat  of  grease.  Some  wear  bright 
feathers  in  their  heads,  and  bracelets  and  necklaces  of 
shell.  Many  of  the  houses  are  built  upon  piles  so  high  up 
that  the  people  have  to  climb  ladders  to  enter  them.  In 
other  places  there  are  houses  in  the  trees  for  watchmen, 
and  also  for  refuge  in  time  of  attack. 


AND   ADJACENT    BRITISH    ISLANDS 


lO' 


It  is  but  a  sliort  trip  from  Madanj^  to  the  Bismarck  Archi- 
pelago. We  first  visit  New  Britain,  and,  making  this  our 
headquarters,  coast  about  from  one  island  to  another. 
The  Bismarck  Archipelago,  like  New  Guinea  and  other 
islands  of  this  region,  is  largely  volcanic.  New  Britain 
has  active  volcanoes,  and  every  now  and  then  the  people 
hear  the  rumble  of  an  earthquake,  so  that  one  can  never 


y^4 

-^<i  ■" 

?r^^ 

%^;g 

*'  : 

-f«'S 


'—  there  are  houses  in  the  trees." 

be  sure  he  is  safe.  In  1878  a  volcano  suddenly  burst  out 
of  the  water  in  one  of  the  bays,  and  ten  years  later  Volcano 
Island  was  almost  swallowed  up  by  the  sea,  an  earthquake 
producing  a  tidal  wave  which  killed  two  German  explorers 
who  were  then  on  the  west  coast  of  New  Britain.  The 
natives  of  these  islands  are  Papuans.  They  are  the  same 
kind  of  people  we  saw  in  New  Guinea,  and  in  some  ways 
they  are  even  more  wild. 

OUR   COLONIES — 7 


io8 


NORTHEASTERN   NEW   GUINEA 


Leaving  New  Britain  we  visit  the  Solomon 
Islands  lying  southeast  of  the  Bismarck  Archipelago, 
which  belong  to  the  British.  Bougainville,  the  largest 
island     of     this      interesting      group,      is      larger      than 

Porto  Rico,  and  it  has 
two  active  volcanoes 
and  one  mountain  more 
than  two  miles  in  height. 
The  islands  are  beauti- 
fully wooded,  having 
tree  ferns  forty  feet 
high,  palms  of  many 
kinds,  banyan  trees,  as 
well  as  forests  of  san- 
dalwood and  ebony. 

The  natives  here  are 
not  so  tall,  as  a  rule,  as 
the  people  of  New 
Guinea.  They  are  Pap- 
uans of  a  deep  brown 
color.  Many  of  them 
go  about  naked,  save  that  they  have  bracelets  and  girdles  ; 
some  have  sticks  in  their  noses  and  great  plugs  or  rings 
in  their  ears.  All  have  queer  ways  of  combing  their  hair, 
the  men  sometimes  wearing  it  in  cones  on  the  top  of  the 
head ;  they  also  stain  the  hair  red  or  light  brown  with 
lime  or  different  kinds  of  earth. 

Some  tribes  are  hunters,  and  in  the  mountains  there 
are  men  who  go  hunting  for  human  heads.  The  people 
think  that  the  man  who  commits  the  most  murders  in  this 
quest  is  the  bravest  and  noblest. 


Solomon  Islander. 


I 


AND   ADJACENT   BRITISH   ISLANDS 


109 


Some  of  the  Solomon  Islanders  have  farms  and  raise 
bananas,  sweet  potatoes,  taro,  and  other  vegetables. 
Taro  is  a  food  plant  which  we  shall  find  throughout  the 
South  Sea  Islands.  Its  chief  value  lies  in  its  root,  which 
makes  us  think  of  our  sweet  potatoes  or  yams  ;  it  is  eaten 
boiled,  baked,  or  roasted ;  it  is  also  made  into  bread  and 
puddings,  and  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands  is  ground  into  a 
mush  called  poi. 

These  people  are  good  fishermen  and,  like  the  natives 
of  other  islands  of  this  part  of  the  world,  they  dive  for 
pearls  and  shells,  and  sell  them  to  the  owners  of  vessels 
which  trade  from  island 
to  island. 

They  also  catch  the 
huge  turtles  found  in 
rocks  along  the  coast. 
The  turtle  shells  are 
often  sold  to  traders  who 
export  them  to  Europe, 
where  they  are  made 
into  combs  and  other 
things. 

The  natives  dive  down 

into  the  sea  after  beche 

de   mer,   a  gigantic  sea  '^^ro  plant. 

worm  or  slug,  so  much  prized  as  food  by  the  Chinese 
that  it  is  shipped  in  vast  quantities  to  China  every  year. 
These  slugs  are  sometimes  called  the  cucumbers  of  the 
sea,  because  they  look  like  cucumbers  as  they  lie  in  the 
water.  Thev  are  found  upon  the  coral  reefs,  and  are  ob- 
tained by  diving  or  are  picked  up  at  low  tide.     The  slugs 


MO  NOKTIIEASTERN    NEW    GUINEA 

arc  ^atliered  in  sacks  by  fishermen,  after  which  they  are 
boiled  and  tlien  dried  in  the  sun.  When  well  dried,  they 
arc  bagged  up  and  ship])ed  off  to  China,  where  they  arc 
used  to  make  a  favorite  soup.  Gathering  bcche  de  mer. 
]jearl  shells,  and  tiu'lles  is  common  in  almost  all  the  islands 
of  this  part  of  the  world,  these  articles  all  being  of  great 
cf)mmercial  importance. 

In  addition  to  the  Bismarck  Archipelago  and  the  vSolo- 
mons,  Great  Britain  has  a  vast  number  of  smaller  islands, 
some  volcanic,  but  mostly  coral,  scattered  over  the  Pacific 
Ocean  both  north  and  south  of  the  Equator.  She  is  ncigh- 
l)or  to  our  i)osscssions  in  the  Samoan  Group,  where  she 
owTis  more  territory  than  we  do.  The  Admiralty  Islands, 
north  of  New  Guinea,  also  belong  to  Great  Britain.  The 
Marshall  Islands,  the  Ladrones,  and  the  Carolines  north 
of  the  Equator  belong  to  Ja])an.  Some  of  the  Carolines  are 
not  far  from  the  Philippines,  and  our  little  island  of  Guam 
lies  between  them  and  the  Ladrones. 

The  Carolines  comprise  many  atolls  and  five  little  vol- 
canic islands.  The  natives  are  gentle  and  intelligent,  more 
so,  perhaps,  than  the  inhabitants  of  the  Ladrones  farther 
north.  The  word  "Ladrone"  means  thief,  and  Magellan 
gave  it  to  these  islands  because  of  the  thievish  tendencies 
of  the  natives.      It  is  said  the  people  are  better  to-day. 

Most  of  these  small  islands,  however,  are  little  more 
than  patches  of  coral  on  the  face  of  the  sea.  Some  of  them 
yield  small  amounts  of  pearl  and  tortoise  shells,  others  grow 
cocoanuls;  but  as  a  whole  they  are  of  no  value  to  commerce. 
Their  natives  are  of  a  low  grade  of  civilization,  and  so  few 
in  numl^er  thai  it  will  hardl\-  i)ay  us  to  go  out  of  our  way 
to  visit  them. 


BRITISH   POSSESSIONS   OF  THE   PACIFIC  III 

i6.     THE    FIJIS    AND    OTHER    BRITISH    POS- 
SESSIONS   OF   THE    PACIFIC 

THE  English  are  a  great  colonizing  nation.  Their 
country  in  Europe  is  small ;  but  by  discovery,  con- 
quest, and  peaceful  annexation  they  have  acquired  posses- 
sions in  all  parts  of  the  globe,  including  many  of  the 
islands  of  the  Pacific.  We  steamed  through  coral  groups 
belonging  to  them  on  our  way  about  New  Guinea,  and 
found  their  flag  floating  over  the  southern  part  of  the 
Solomons.  The  English  own  also  the  Gilbert  and  the 
Ellice  islands,  composed  of  atolls  lying  north  and  north- 
east of  New  Guinea ;  the  Fanning  Island  south  of 
Hawaii,  noted  for  guano ;  the  Cook  Islands,  which  might 
be  called  the  sisters  of  the  Society  Group  ;  the  Tongas, 
not  far  from  the  Fijis,  and  many  islets  scattered  here  and 
there  over  this  sea. 

All  of  these  possessions  are  ruled  by  the  governor  of 
the  Fiji  Islands,  who  has  the  title  of  High  Commissioner 
of  the  Western  Pacific.  He  is  appointed  by  the  king  of 
England,  and  has  his  capital  at  Suva  on  the  island  of  Viti 
Levu  (ve'te  la'voo)  or  "  Big  Fiji,"  the  largest  of  the  Fijian 
Group.  Many  of  the  islands  are  ruled  through  their 
chiefs,  who  are  advised  by  the  English  officials.  The 
Tongas  have  a  king  of  their  own  and  a  legislative  assem- 
bly, half  of  whose  members  are  elected  by  the  people, 
although  they  are  under  British  protection. 

The  Fijis  are  the  most  important  of  all  these  small 
English  islands.  They  lie  about  twelve  hundred  miles 
north  of  New  Zealand.     They  are  volcanic  islands  rising 


112 


BRITISH   POSSESSIONS  OF  THE   PACIFIC 


Steeply  out  of  the  sea,  each  having  a  coral  reef  about  its 
coast,  so  that  it  might  be  considered  the  head  of  a  moun- 
tain with  a  necklace  of  coral. 

There  are  more   than   two    hundred    such    islands,  the 
group   having  an  area  as  large  as  Massachusetts.     Only 


FIJI  ISLANDS 

SCALE  OF  MILES 


177         Lonjltuiie       178    E: 


W        Lonifituii!        179 


eighty  of  the  islands  are  inhabited,  and  many  of  these 
are  so  small  that  there  is  but  one  village  upon  them. 
Most  of  the  people  live  on  Viti  Lcvu,  which  is  about 
the  size  of  Connecticut,  and  Vanua-Levu  (va'noo-a-la'v6b), 
more  than  twice  as  big  as  Rhode  Island. 

Our  trip  from  the  Solomons  to  the  Fijis  takes  several 
days;  but  the  sea  is  smooth,  and  we  are  able  to  gather 
information  about  them  while  on  the  way.  They  were 
discovered  by  the  Dutch  in  1643,  but  were  not  thoroughly 
explored  until  Captain  Charles  Wilkes  of  the  United 
States  navy  sailed  about  them  in   1840. 


BRITISH    POSSESSIONS   OF   THE   PACH'IC  II 3 

At  that  lime  aiul  for  years  Ihcicaflcr  Uic  inhabitants 
were  ferocious  cannibals,  who  considered  human  flesh  the 
greatest  of  deUcacies.  The  different  tribes  made  war 
upon  one  another,  and  each  sent  out  canoes  to  the  neighbor- 
ing islands  to  secure  captives  for  their  feasts.  Slaves  were 
kept  and  fattened  for  food,  and  upon  rare  occasions  a  man 
might  sacrifice  his  relatives  and  friends. 

This  was  the  condition  when  the  missionaries  first  came 
to  the  Fijis.  They  had  great  trouble  at  first ;  but  they  made 
many  conversions,  and  at  last  converted  the  king,  and  with 
his  aid  the  rest  of  the  people,  so  that  to-day  the  Fijians 
are  almost  all  Christians.  There  are  more  than  a  thousand 
churches  on  the  islands,  and  most  of  the  natives  atteixl 
them,  and  there  are  about  thirty-three  thousand  children 
in  the  Sunday  Schools.  The  Fijians  have  their  own  native 
preachers,  and  a  common  sound  evening  and  morning  is 
the  hymn  sung  at  family  worship.  The  barbarous  cus- 
toms have  been  done  away  with,  and  civilization  has  taken 
their  place.  Schools  have  been  established,  and  nearly  all 
the  natives  can  read  and  write.  Many  have  farms,  and 
they  are  among  the  happiest  of  the  Pacific  peoples. 

There  are  several  thousand  Englishmen  now  living  in 
the  Fijis,  and  also  a  large  number  of  East  Indians  who 
have  been  brought  in  to  work  on  the  plantations.  Fijians 
do  not  care  to  labor  more  than  is  necessary  to  support 
themselves,  and  this  in  a  land  where  one  can  live  on 
breadfruit  and  bananas  is  not  much. 

The  islands  have  quite  a  trade  with  New  Zealand  and 
other  countries.  The  English  raise  sugar,  tobacco,  tea, 
rice,  and  tropical  fruits  for  export ;  they  also  sell  copra  or 
dried  cocoanut  meat,  pearl  shells,  and  beche  de  mer. 


114  BRITISH    POSSESSIONS   OF  Till-:    PACIFIC 

We  are  approaching  the  Fijis.  (ireat  masses  of  green 
dot  the  sea  in  different  directions.  Now  we  are  nearer, 
saiHng  along  Viti  Levii.  The  hills  rise  up  from  the  coast, 
and  low-hanging  clouds  are  resting  upon  them.  Notice 
that  strip  of  light  green  dividing  the  deep  hlue  waters 
outside  from  those  close  to  the  coast.  That  marks  the 
coral  reef  where  the  water  is  shallow.  The  town  on  the 
beach  is  Suva,  the  Fijian  capital.  You  can  see  its  build- 
ings under  the  cocoanut  trees  which  border  the  shore. 

Now  we  are  going  into  the  harbor  through  a  funnel- 
shaped  entrance.  Our  steamer  moves  slowly,  avoiding  the 
native  boats  which  are  shooting  hither  and  thither.  What 
queer  things  they  arc  !  Look  at  this  one  at  the  right  of 
the  steamer.  It  has  a  three-cornered  sail,  made  of  matting, 
and  an  outrigger,  a  cocoanut  log  floating  in  the  water 
outside  the  boat  and  tied  to  it  with  bamboo  to  keep  it 
from  turning. 

See  the  men  in  the  boat !  They  have  frizzly  hair  and 
skins  of  a  mahogany  brown  ;  but  they  are  tall  and  fine 
looking.  How  their  muscles  swell  as  they  work  their  way 
through  the  water!  They  are  Fijians.  Listen!  they  are 
calling  out  a  welcome  to  us,  but  the  commotion  on  board 
is  so  great  we  can  not  understand  them. 

Now  we  are  in  the  harbor  coming  up  to  the  pier.  There 
are  boats  large  and  small  all  around  us,  and  we  anchor 
side  by  side  with  German,  English,  and  American  steam- 
ships which  are  here  to  trade  with  the  Fijis. 

We  take  a  stroll  along  the  Victoria  Parade,  the  chief 
street  of  Suva,  make  a  call  upon  the  governor,  and  then 
go  to  the  hotel,  where  we  enjoy  a  land  meal  after  our 
long  stay  upon  ship. 


BRITISH    POSSESSIONS   OF  THE   PACIFIC  II 5 

There  are  many  natives  in  and  about  Suva.  Most  of 
them  speak  English,  and  we  take  several  for  guides  and 
interpreters  during  our  travels  over  the  islands.  We  go 
much  of  the  way  upon  horseback,  for  there  are  bridle 
paths  almost  everywhere,  and  we  can  travel  easily  and 
safely  through  this  once  cannibal  land. 

We  ride  along  the  coast  where  the  brown-skinned  Fijian 
girls  are  fishing  on  the  coral  reefs  and  bringing  their 
catch  to  the  shore.  The  fish  are  of  all  colors;  some  are 
almost  as  gorgeous  as  the  birds  we  saw  in  New  Guinea. 
There  are  green  fish  and  pink  fish,  gold  fish  and  silver 
fish,  and  fish  the  color  of  sapphires  and  rubies. 

These  seas  are  noted  for  their  animal  life.  The  coral 
gardens  have  crabs  of  many  kinds.  They  have  star-fish 
and  an  indescribable  variety  of  sea  monsters.  Some  of 
the  coral  patches  are  almost  real  gardens  in  their  profusion 
of  shrubs,  bushes,  sprigs,  and  sponges  of  coral.  Some 
coral  is  pink,  some  blue,  and  some  lavender.  We  gather 
specimens  and  lay  them  away,  but  they  lose  their  beauty 
after  being  well  dried. 

Our  trips  into  the  interior  are  even  more  delightful  than 
those  along  the  shore.  We  travel  through  woods  where 
the  trees  shade  us  from  the  tropical  sun,  and  now  and 
then  stop  to  rest  under  a  great  umbrella  fern,  lying  on  the 
beds  of  ferns  underneath.  The  ferns  of  the  Fijis  are  even 
finer  than  those  of  New  Zealand.  There  are  birds'-nest 
ferns  clinging  to  the  boughs  of  old  trees,  and  climbing 
ferns  which  hang  down  from  the  branches  and  trunks. 
The  Fijis  have  beautiful  pines  and  flowering  trees,  where 
we  see  red  and  green  parrots  peeping  out  through  the 
blossoms. 


ii6 


IJKiriSII    I'nSSKSSIOXS   OF    I'll  I'.    r.\(lKIC 


There  are  also  poisonous  plants,  such  as  the  tree  nettle, 
which  has  glossy  leaves  with  red  and  white  veins.  When 
touched,  they  sting  one  so  that  the  pain  lasts  for  days. 
And  then   there  is  the  tree  called   the  itch   plant,  who.se 

sap  is  somewhat 
like  milk,  and  if  it 
touches  your  skin, 
causes  terrible  pain  ; 
it  will  make  your 
liody  break  out  into 
sores  which  will  last 
a  long  time. 

Everywhere  we  go 

we    see  little  farms 

cultivated     by     the 

natives.     There  are 

fields     of     bananas, 

sweet  potatoes,  taro, 

and    yams,    and    of 

rice,  sugar  cane,  and 

Indian  corn.     Many 

f"^^"'^^^^  of  the  fields  are  in 

terraces,  or  steps  one  above  the  other,  irrigated  from  the 

streams  by  pipes  of  bamboo. 

We  rejoice  in  the  pineapples  which  are  brought  from  the 
fields  for  us,  and  in  bananas  fresh  from  the  stem.  The 
nativ^es  invite  us  into  their  homes,  and  frequently  ask  us 
to  stay  over  night.  Their  houses  arc  not  large,  but  they 
are  beautifully  made.  They  have  walls  of  reeds  coated 
with  dried  leaves  and  covered  by  a  lieavv  tliatched  roof, 
upheld  by  tree  trunks  set  into  the  earth.     The   ordinary 


BRITISH    POSSESSIONS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 


117 


house  has  but  one  room,  with  an  opening  at  the  front 
covered  by  a  mat  which  serves  as  the  door.  In  the  center 
is  the  fireplace,  a  hole  cut  out  through  the  floor  with  a 
scaffolding  over  it,  upon  which  food  is  hung  to  be  cooked. 
The  most  of  the  cooking  is  done  in  earthenware  pots. 
There  are  no  chimneys,  and  the  smoke  colors  everything 
black.  Wooden  bowls,  cocoanuts,  and  gourds  are  the 
chief  kitchen  utensils. 


"Their  houses  are  beautifully  made." 

There  are  no  chairs  in  most  of  the  huts.  The  family 
and  friends  lie  around  upon  mats  spread  upon  a  layer  of 
soft  grass.  These  mats  are  also  the  beds,  the  best  of 
them  being  upon  a  slightly  raised  portion  at  one  end  of  the 
room,  where,  as  guests  of  honor,  we  are  allowed  to  sleep. 

l^'or  the  first  night  or  so,  we  try  the  T'ljian  ])ill()\vs 
They  are  little  logs  of  bamboo  on  legs  just  high  cnougli 


ii8 


BRITISH    POSSESSIONS  OF  THE   PACIFIC 


to  fit  under  the  neck  and  raise  the  head  off  the  floor,  but 
so  hard  that  they  make  our  necks  stiff;  so  we  roll  up  our 
coats  and  use  them  instead. 

It  is  very  warm  in  the  Fijis,  and  the  natives  of  the  in- 
terior wear  little  clothing.     They  are  modest,  however,  and 


we  are  treated  to  a  feast  of  roast  pork." 

are  careful  how  they  treat  one  another.  They  are  cleanly, 
and  have  wooden  bowls  of  water  at  the  doors  of  their 
houses,  so  that  one  may  wash  his  feet  before  stepping 
upon  the  white  mats.  We  always  take  off  our  shoes  when 
we  visit  our  native  friends  in  their  homes,  although  they 
politely  protest. 

We  carry  canned  stuffs  with  us  to  vary  the  diet  of  yams, 
taro,  breadfruit,  and  bananas,  which  are  the  chief  food 
of  the  natives.  At  some  villages  as  a  great  honor  we  are 
treated  to  a  feast  of  loast  pt)rk.      Tigs  are  found  through- 


I 


SAMOA 


119 


out  the  Fijis,  and  their  flesh  is  considered  a  great  delicacy. 
The  pig  is  first  killed  and  cleaned.  It  is  then  roasted 
whole  by  filling  its  inside  with  red-hot  stones  and  laying 
it  in  a  little  pit  lined  with  more  hot  stones,  and  covering  it 
up  with  grass  and  earth.  This  forms  a  natural  bake  oven 
quite  as  good  as  one  made  of  iron  or  bricks. 


o^^o 


17.     SAMOA 

HIP,    hip,    hurrah  !       Our    cheers    ring    out    over    the 
water.     We  wave  our  handkerchiefs  and  thr6w  our 
hats    high  into  the  air.     We  are  in  the  harbor  of    Pago 


Pago  (pang'go  pang'go)  on  the  Samoan  Island  of  Tutuila. 
Don't  you  see  that  American  gunboat  at  the  wharf  and 
the  dear  old  American  f^ag  waving  from  the  building 
behind  it  ?  This  island  belongs  to  us !  Those  shores 
covered  with  palm  trees  and  the  wooded  hills  rising  up 
almost  to  the  clouds  on  every  side  are  American  soil  ; 
and  the  half-naked  girls  and  boys  who  are  rowing  their 
boat  loads  of  vegetables  and  fruit  out  to  the  steamer  are 


120 


SAMOA 


our  brown-skinned  Samoan  cousins,  who  pride  themselves 
on  belonging  to  the  same  Uncle  Sam  that  we  do. 

The  United  States  has  four  little  inhabited  islands, 
besides  several  smaller  islands,  away  off  here  south  of 
the  Equator  in  the  middle  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Their 
names  are  Tutuila  (too-too-e'la),  Tau  (ta'oo),  Ofu  (5'foo), 
and  Olosenga  (6-lo-seng'ga).     They  are  very  small  islands, 


"The  harbor  is  more  like  an  inland  lake  than  a  bay.' 

all  together  not  much  larger  in  area  than  the  District  of 
Columbia,  but  they  are  of  the  greatest  value,  because  they 
lie  on  the  track  of  the  steamers  going  from  San  Francisco 
or  Puget  Sound  ports  to  New  Zealand  and  Australia ;  and 
near  the  track  from  the  Panama  Canal  to  Australia  and 
Malaysia ;  and  not  far  from  the  nearest  route  around 
the  world  by  the  Panama  and  the  Suez  canals.  For 
this  reason  we  need  them  as  a  coaling  and  naval  station. 


SAMOA  1 2 1 

On  long  journeys  steamers  require  frequent  supplies  of  coal, 
and  it  is  important  for  us  to  have  good  harbors  along  the  way 
where  our  merchant  ships  can  be  supplied  in  time  of  peace, 
and  where  our  naval  vessels  can  coal  should  there  be  war. 

Pago  Pago  has  one  of  the  very  best  harbors  of  the  mid- 
dle Pacific.  It  is  about  two  miles  long  and  a  third  of  a 
mile  wide,  and  is  of  the  shape  of  a  crookneck  squash,  with 
the  small  end  at  the  entrance.  The  harbor  is  more  like 
an  inland  lake  than  a  bay.  On  either  side  of  it  rise  steep 
hills,  covered  with  a  dense  vegetation,  which  shut  out  the 
winds  and  the  sea ;  and  it  is  so  deep  that  the  biggest  ocean 
steamers  can  float  here  without  danger. 

But  the  canoes  are  now  close  to  the  steamer.  The  boys 
and  girls  within  them  are  shouting  their  welcome  to  us. 
They  are  calling  "Talofa!  Talofa!"  The  words  mean 
"Love  to  you,"  and  love  is  the  greeting  we  shall  hear  all 
over  the  island.  The  Samoans  are  the  best  of  all  island 
peoples.  They  are  noted  for  their  bravery  and  for  their 
good  nature.  They  are  almost  always  smiling  and  are 
friendly  to  strangers. 

The  boys  are  big,  strong,  and  muscular,  and  the  girls 
are  plump  and  well  formed.  Their  skins  are  the  color  of 
ripe  chestnuts.  They  have  beautiful  eyes,  and  their  hair 
is  wavy  rather  than  frizzly  like  that  of  the  natives  we 
saw  in  New  Guinea.  They  wear  more  clothing.  The 
girls  have  skirts  of  wide  strips  of  calico,  which  are 
wound  about  the  waist,  falling  almost  to  the  feet ;  they 
have  sashes  or  jackets  about  the  upper  parts  of  their 
bodies,  although  their  arms  are  frequently  bare.  Nearly 
every  one  has  flowers  about  her  neck  and  in  her  hair,  and 
even  the  boys  wear  garlands  of  flowers. 


122 


SAMOA 


The  Sainoans  arc  I'oU  ncsians.  Tlicy  arc  of  a  different 
race  from  the  Papuans,  having  finer  forms  and  a  higher 
grade  of  civilization.  The  Polynesians  are  found  in  many 
islands  of  this  part  of  the  ocean,  iiot  alone  in  Samoa  but 
in  the  Tongas,  in  the  Society  Islands,  and  other  groui)s 
of  that  neighborhood,  and  also  in  Hawaii,  as  we  shall  see 
later  on. 

We  throw  ropes  ov^er  the  sides  of  the  ship,  and  our 
brown-skinned   cousins,   girls   and   boys,  climb   up  to   the 

deck    with    their    bas- 
\^i '-■  '  '•  •    '    •-■'■'  kets  and  bundles.     We 

buy  their  pineapples, 
bananas,  and  oranges, 
and  as  they  throw 
wreaths  of  flowers 
around  our  necks,  we 
laugh  with  them  and 
cry  out,  "  Talofa  !  Ta- 
lofa  !  "  in  return. 

After  a  while  we 
leave  the  ship  for  the 
shore,  and  go  far  back 
into  the  country  to  visit 
the  people  in  their  vil- 
lages. The  houses  at 
^'"""'*"^'""  first     sight     look     like 

haystacks  upon  posts.  They  have  enormous  thatched 
roofs,  upheld  about  the  edges  by  the  trunks  of  small  trees 
with  a  larger  tree  or  so  in  the  center.  They  are  open  at 
the  sides  or  fitted  with  mats  which  can  be  let  up  and  down, 
serving  for  walls. 


SAMOA 


123 


"The  houses  look  like  haystacks  upon  posts." 

The  floor  is  the  earth  covered  with  Httle  pebbles  upon 
which  mats  are  laid.  Here  the  people  sit  or  lie  in  the 
daytime,  and  here  they  sleep  at  night,  using  wooden  pil- 
lows not  unlike  those  of  the  Fijians.  A  fire  is  kept  burn- 
ing at  night  in  a  hole  in  the  center  of  the  floor  for  light 
and  also  to  keep  away  mosquitoes. 

Our  cousins  say  "  Tofa,"  or  "  Sleep  well,"  as  they  bid  us 
good  night  and  we  lie  down  upon  the  mats,  the  pebbles 
below  reminding  us  of  the  princess  in  the  fairy  tale  who 
felt  the  pea  under  her  many  feather  beds,  save  that  the 
peas  under  us  are  as  large  as  hazelnuts  and  make  us  sore 
however  we  turn. 

At  daybreak  we  go  out  for  a  bath  before  breakfast. 
The  Samoans  are  cleanly,  and  they  are  always  splashing 
abcnil  in  the  streams.  We  run  down  to  the  shore  and  roll 
about  in  the  warm  water  with   our  little  brown   cousins, 


124  SAMOA 

and  then  help  llieni  eateh  a  few  fish  for  breakfast.  In  the 
meantime  others  of  the  family  have  brought  in  some  sweet 
potatoes,  taro,  bananas,  and  a  couple  of  chickens.  The 
potatoes  and  meat  are  cooked  on  the  hot  stones  of  a 
native  oven,  and  the  meal  is  served  with  banana  leaves 
as  plates,  a  plan  that  is  very  convenient  for  such  a  large 
party.  There  are  no  knives  or  forks,  but  we  soon  learn  to 
eat  with  our  fingers,  although  not  so  daintily  as  our  friends 
who  have  eaten  so  all  their  lives. 

While  we  stay  in  each  village  we  are  taken  about  by 
the  Taupo,  or  village  belle,  whose  duty  it  is  to  entertain 
strangers  and  see  that  they  have  all  that  they  want.  This 
girl  is  usually  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  chiefs,  noted  for 
her  grace,  beauty,  and  wit.  She  is  the  leader  of  the  local 
games  and  sports,  and  has  a  prominent  part  in  all  village 
processions. 

Before  we  depart,  a  council  is  held  with  some  of  the 
chiefs,  during  which  we  are  treated  to  kava,  a  drink  used 
on  social  and  ceremonial  occasions.  It  is  made  from  the 
root  of  a  shrub  of  the  pepper  family  which  grows  in  these 
islands,  and  is  prepared  in  a  curious  way.  There  are 
special  bowls  for  mixing  the  drink  and  odd  ways  of  reduc- 
ing it  to  a  powder.  The  custom  in  many  places  is  to 
pound  it  up  on  flat  stones;  but  the  old  way,  which  the 
natives  say  is  much  better,  was  to  cut  it  into  little  cubes 
and  then  have  the  girls  chew  it.  After  pounding  or 
chewing,  the  kava  is  put  into  the  bowl  and  covered  with 
water.  It  is  then  kneaded  with  the  hands  under  the 
water  until  the  juice  comes  out,  when  the  liquor  is  strained 
off  and  is  ready  for  drinking. 

Kava,  when  ready  to  drink,  has  a  milky  appearance.      It 


SAMOA 


125 


tastes  somewhat  like  soap  suds,  and  we  can  scarcely  drink 
it  at  first,  but  later  find  it  cooling  and  refreshing.  It  is  not 
intoxicating  unless  taken  in  large  quantities,  when  it  affects 
the  legs  more  than  the  head,  so  that  the  drinker  may  be 
perfectly  sensible,  although  unable  to  move. 

We  are  interested  in  the  government  of  the  Samoan 
villages.  The  country  is  ruled  by  the  United  States,  but 
our  officials  are  chiefly 
advisers.  Every  village 
is  a  little  republic  with 
its  own  chief  who  settles 
everything  under  the 
direction  of  the  Amer- 
ican governor.  The 
people  are  intelligent 
and  well  behaved.  They 
have  their  own  schools 
and  churches,  having 
been  converted  by  the 
missionaries  long  before 
we  took  possession  of 
the  islands. 

Many  of  the  Samoans 

have    little    farms    upon  '"^^^  cocoanuts  are  gathered  when  they  fall." 

which  they  raise  sweet  potatoes,  taro,  yams,  and  other 
vegetables.  Some  have  banana  fields  and  cocoanut  trees, 
from  whose  nuts  comes  the  copra  which  is  the  great  money 
crop  of  the  islands.  Copra  is  the  dried  kernel  of  the  fully 
ripe  cocoanut.  The  cocoanuts  are  gathered  when  they 
fall  and  the  husks  taken  off.  Then  the  shells  are  broken, 
and  the  kernels  are  cut  into  strips  and  dried  in  the  sun. 


126  SAMOA 

1  his  Jiicd  lortianiil  mc.il  is  ol  _i;rc.il  \;iliic  in  (.Dmnicrcc, 
and  we  shall  hiul  the  nali\es  preparing  it  on  all  the 
islands  of  this  part  ot  the  world.  It  is  shipped  to  the 
United  States  or  Europe,  where  a  rich  oil  is  pressed  out 
of  it,  and  this  oil  is  used  to  make  soap  and  other  things. 
Here  in  Samoa  the  natives  sometimes  pay  their  taxes  with 
it,  each  village  sending  in  to  the  government  a  certain 
amount  of  copra  each  year. 

The  Samoans  have  but  few  manufactures.  The  women 
weave  mats  out  of  fine  grasses,  they  beat  the  bark  of  the 
paper  mulberry  tree  into  a  kind  of  cloth,  and  make  orna- 
mental straw  and  basket  work.  The  men  carve  out  clubs 
and  models  of  canoes,  and  some  of  them  go  fishing  for 
pearl  and  tortoise  shell.  Altogether  the  islands  are  of 
little  commercial  importance,  and  their  great  advantage  to 
us,  as  we  have  already  learned,  lies  in  the  harbor  of  Pago 
Pago. 

Nevertheless  we  thoroughly  enjoy  our  visit  with  our 
new  relatives  of  the  southern  Pacific,  and  we  feel  sad  as 
v/e  stand  at  the  stern  of  the  steamer,  our  necks  and  hats 
decorated  with  tlie  flowers  they  have  bestowed  uj)on  us 
in  parting,  and  wave  them  good-by. 

1  Before  going  northward  to  the  Hawaiian  (hii-wi'yan) 
Islands,  we  steam  to  Apia,  the  capital  of  the  rest  of  the 
Samoan  Group  which  belongs  to  the  British.  The  British 
islands  are  of  the  same  nature  as  Tutuila;  that  is, 
they  are  volcanic  and  for  the  most  part  surrounded  by 
coral  reefs.  They  are  larger  than  our  islands,  but  ours 
are  the  more  valuable  on  account  of  the  harbor,  the  Bay 
of  Apia  being  unsafe  in  great  storms. 

The  natives  are  about  the  same,  and  they  live  the  same 


OUR   HAWAIIAN   POSSESSIONS  — HONOLULU  1 27 

way.  We  land  at  Apia  and  stroll  through  the  town  which 
lies  close  to  the  beach.  A  little  later  we  take  carriages 
and  drive  back  into  the  country  up  the  mountain  to  visit 
the  place  where  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  the  famous 
author,  spent  his  last  days  befriending  the  people  and 
writing  his  beautiful  stories.  His  tomb  is  on  the  top  of 
the  mountain  above  his  home.  It  is  built  after  the  Sa- 
moan  style.  Upon  one  side  of  it  is  a  bronze  plate, 
bearing  these  verses  written  by  him :  — 

"Under  the  wide  and  starry  sky, 
Dig  the  grave  and  let  me  lie. 
Glad  did  I  live  and  gladly  die, 

And  I  laid  me  down  with  a  will. 

"This  be  the  verse  you  grave  for  me: 
Here  he  lies  where  he  longed  to  be ; 
Home  is  the  sailor,  home  from  sea, 

And  the  hunter  home  from  the  hill." 


3»=:c 


18.     OUR   HAWAIIAN    POSSESSIONS  — 
HONOLULU 

WE  are  again  under  the  shadow  of  the  American 
flag,  and  about  to  land  upon  American  soil.  We 
left  Samoa  one  week  ago,  and  are  now  far  north  of  the 
Equator  in  the  harbor  of  Honolulu  at  the  crossroads  of 
the  northern  Pacific  Ocean.  We  saw  something  of  the 
value  of  such  a  location  while  we  were  in  Tutuila.  It  is 
more  apparent  here  in  the  rich  and  fertile  Hawaiian 
Islands,  which  are  not  only  a  coaling  station,  but  also  a 
center  of  commerce  and  trade.     You   may  have  noticed 

OUR   COLONIES  —  8 


OUR    HAWAIIAN    POSSESSIONS— IKJNOLULU  I  29 

that  country  towns  spring  up  wherever  several  roads 
come  together;  that  cities  rise  at  the  crossing  of  rail- 
roads and  the  junction  of  such  roads  with  rivers,  and  at 
good  harbors  where  the  sea  routes  and  land  routes  meet. 
It  is  the  same  at  the  crossroads  of  the  sea,  and  countries 
become  valuable  when  they  lie  at  such  places.  This  is 
especially  so  with  the  Hawaiian  Islands  at  the  crossroads 
of  the  northern  Pacific. 

For  the  past  week  we  have  been  traveling  on  the  direct 
road  from  Australia  and  New  Zealand  to  the  United 
States,  and,  if  we  kept  straight  on,  another  week  would 
land  us  in  San  Francisco.  The  ship  on  our  right  has  just 
come  from  that  port,  and  the  one  going  out,  with  a  long 
stream  of  black  smoke  following  it,  is  a  Canadian  Pacific 
boat  on  its  way  from  Sydney  to  Vancouver  in  British 
Columbia. 

See  that  transport  over  there  with  the  American  flag  at 
its  stern  and  the  hundreds  of  soldiers  hanging  over  the 
rail  waving  their  hats  and  handkerchiefs  at  us.  That  ves- 
sel left  California  eight  days  ago.  It  came  here  last  night 
and  will  start  out  to-morrow  for  the  Philippine  Islands, 
calling  perhaps  at  Guam  on  the  way.  The  Japanese 
steamer  beside  it,  with  the  rising  sun  on  its  flag,  is  from 
Yokohama  bound  for  San  Francisco  with  a  cargo  of  rice, 
porcelain,  and  rugs,  and  there  are  other  steamers  here  from 
Hongkong  and  Shanghai  laden  with  silk  and  tea  on  their 
way  to  America.  The  Hawaiian  Islands  are  also  on  one 
of  the  direct  routes  from  Asia  to  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
and  now  that  our  canal  is  completed,  there  is  a  steady 
stream  of  ships  flowing  through  here  from  Asia  to  Europe 
and  the  eastern  coasts  of  our  hemisphere. 


I30  OUK    HAWAIIAN    I'OSSESSK  )NS— 1I()N(3LULLJ 

The  lluwaiiaii  IshiiRls  arc  duc  ol  tlic  niosl  valuable  pos- 
sessions ill  the  Paeitic  Ocean.  They  are  not  large  islands. 
Their  area  all  together  is  not  so  great  as  that  of  New  Jersey, 
although  they  are  scattered  from  east  to  west  over  the 
ocean  for  hundreds  of  miles.  The  inhabited  islands  are 
closer  together,  but  from  one  end  of  them  to  the  other  is 
about  as  far  as  from  Washington  to  Boston. 

The  islands  of  the  far  west  are  mere  dots  on  the  sea, 
some  of  which  have  never  been  visited,  while  others  are 
valuable  only  for  their  deposits  of  fertilizer.  Upon  some 
of  them  guano  is  found,  thousands  of  sea  birds  roosting 
there  every  night.  One  of  these,  named  Midway  Island, 
is  important  as  a  landing  place  for  the  American  tele- 
graphic cable,  which  connects  San  Francisco  with  the 
Hawaiian  Islands,  Guam,  and  the  Philippines. 

The  inhabited  islands  are  eight  in  number,  situated  at 
the  eastern  end  of  the  group  just  about  as  far  from  San 
Francisco  as  Chicago  is  east  of  that  city,  and  farther  from 
any  Australian  and  Asiatic  port  than  New  York  is  distant 
from  London. 

Hawaii  (ha-wi'e)  is  the  largest  of  the  inhabited  islands; 
it  is  not  quite  so  large  as  Connecticut,  and  next  in  size  is 
Maui  (mou'e),  which  is  not  one  fifth  so  large.  After  that 
comes  Oahu  (6-a'hoo),  in  the  chief  harbor  of  which  we  now 
are,  and  still  farther  west  is  the  rich  garden  island  of  Kauai 
(kou-a'e),  which  is  twenty-two  miles  wide  and  twenty-five 
miles  long.  Southwest  of  Oahu  is  Molokai  (mo-lo-kl'), 
where  the  lepers  live,  and  not  far  from  it  is  Kahoolawe 
(ka-ho-o-la'va),  the  smallest  of  the  cultivated  islands,  so 
small  that  we  could  walk  around  its  coast  in  less  than  a 
day. 


OUR    HAWAIIAN   POSSESSIONS  — HONOLULU  13I 

All  these  islands  are  volcanic ;  they  are  made  up  of 
high  mountains  seamed  with  valleys  and  gorges,  some  of 
which  are  more  than  a  thousand  feet  deep.  Between  the 
mountains  lie  rolling  plains,  and  at  the  feet  of  some  nar- 
row plains  slope  out  to  the  sea.  The  best  of  the  culti- 
vated lands  are  in  the  plains  and  valleys,  and  on  the  lower 
slopes  of  the  mountains.  The  mountains  are  often  barren 
and  ragged,  some  of  them  are  smoking  volcanoes,  and 
others  dead  craters  long  since  burned  out. 

It  was  Gaetano,  a  Spanish  navigator,  who  discovered 
the  Hawaiian  Islands.  This  was  in  1542,  but  they  were 
not  brought  prominently  before  the  world  until  Captain 
Cook  visited  them  in  1778.  When  Captain  Cook  first 
came,  the  natives  regarded  him  as  almost  a  god,  but  a 
year  later  a  misunderstanding  arose.  There  was  a  quarrel 
between  the  whites  and  the  natives,  and  Captain  Cook  was 
killed  on  the  island  of  Hawaii,  where  we  may  see  his 
monument.  Cook  named  the  group  the  Sandwich  Islands 
after  the  Earl  of  Sandwich,  one  of  his  patrons.  This 
name  has  since  been  changed  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 

At  the  time  of  Captain  Cook's  discovery  the  country 
was  populated  by  many  brown-skinned  people  much  like 
those  we  saw  in  Tutuila,  although  they  had  perhaps  a 
higher  degree  of  civiHzation.  They  were  then  divided 
into  several  tribes,  each  having  its  own  little  territory,  but, 
in  1800,  Kamehameha  (ka-ma'ha-mxa'ha),  a  chief  of  the 
island  of  Hawaii  having  conquered  the  other  chiefs,  pro- 
claimed himself  king  and  founded  the  dynasty  which 
ruled  the  group  almost  to  the  time  (1898)  when  the 
islands  were  annexed  by  the  United  States. 

In  recent  years  the  natives  have  been  steadily  decreasing 


132  OIR    HAWAIIAN    roSSKSSlONS— IIU.NOLULU 

in  number,  and  there  are  not  one  tenth  so  many  now  as 
at  the  time  Captain  Cook  lantlcd.  They  were  long  ago 
eonvcrted  to  Christianity.  They  have  always  welcomed 
strangers  to  their  shores,  so  that  there  are  now  five  or  six 
times  as  many  foreigners,  or  the  descendants  of  foreigners, 
on  the  islands  as  of  natives  themselves.  The  foreigners 
are  mostly  jjcople  from  the  United  States  and  Europe  and 
their  children,  and  a  large  number  of  Chinese  and  Jajja- 
ncse  who  were  brought  in  to  work  on  the  sugar  plantations. 
All  the  people,  however,  are  now  American  citizens,  and 
we  are  among  friends  the  moment  we  land. 

What  a  beautiful  city  is  Honolulu!  It  is  called  the 
Paradise  of  the  Pacific,  and  it  seems  a  paradise  to  us  as 
we  walk  up  the  wide  streets  and  stroll  by  gardens  filled 
with  tropical  plants  and  hedged  with  beautiful  flowers, 
under  the  shade  of  royal  palms  and  cocoanut  trees.  Wc 
seem  to  be  in  a  great  botanical  garden,  interspersed  here 
and  there  with  fine  houses,  lawns  as  velvety  as  those  of 
Washington,  and  beautiful  walks  and  drives. 

Honolulu  has  good  business  buildings,  and  the  govern- 
ment structures,  some  of  which  were  once  the  palaces 
of  native  rulers,  are  surrounded  by  parks.  There  arc 
electric  cars  running  through  the  streets ;  the  town  is 
lighted  by  electricity,  and  its  stores,  with  their  plate-glass 
windows,  remind  us  of  home.  There  is  a  well-equipped 
gymnasium,  a  jiublic  bicycle  track,  and  schools  as  good  as 
our  own. 

The  city  is  beautifully  situated  on  a  silvery  bay  at  the 
foot  of  a  little  volcano  five  hundred  feet  high,  u]:)  which 
we  drive  for  the  view.  This  volcano  is  known  as  the 
Punch  Bowl,  from  the  shape  of  its  crater.     We  stand  on 


OUR   HAWAIIAN    PC  )SSESSir)NS— HONOLULU 


133 


the  rim  ol  the  crater  and  see  the  Paeific  Ocean  rollini; 
up  whitecaps  far  out  from  the  shore.  Right  under  us  is 
Honokilu,  its  white  houses  showing  out  of  the  green  ;  and 
beyond  it,  reached  by  a  beach  drive  shaded  with  algeroba 
trees  and  cocoanut  palms,  is  the  suburb,  Waikiki,  where 
the  people  go  to  bathe.      Farther  back  in  the  country  are 


" — the  government  structures  are  surrounded  by  parks." 

patches  of  vivid  green,  the  rice  and  banana  plantations, 
and  near  them  greater  expanses  of  a  paler  green,  marking 
the  sugar  estates,  for  which  the  islands  are  noted. 

Leaving  the  Punch  Bowl,  we  go  down  again  to  the  city 
and  stroll  about  the  streets,  now  and  then  stopping  at  the 
stores.  The  people  we  meet  have  come  here  from  many 
parts  of  the  world.  There  are  whites  from  all  the  states 
of  our  Union  and  from  almost  every  country  of  Europe, 


131  I  111-;    INIU'SIRIKS    i»l''    I'lIK    HAWAIIAN    ISLANDS 

yclk)\vs  Iroin  China  and  Japan,  antl  nuiln)};auy  browns 
from  the  Pacitic  islands.  The  men  wear  Panama  hats  and 
white  linen  suits  without  vests.  Many  have  bright  silk 
sashes  about  their  waists,  and  some  have  silk  sashes  wound 
around  their  hats.  Now  and  then  we  see  a  native  woman 
in  a  loose  gown  which  falls  from  her  neck  to  her  feet,  and 
sometimes  native  men  with  garlands  of  flowers  around 
their  necks  or  their  hats. 

We  spend  some  time  in  the  Chinese  quarter  buying  tea, 
candied  ginger,  and  other  things  of  the  almond-eyed  mer- 
chants. We  visit  the  places  where  most  of  the  Japanese 
live,  laughing  at  the  yellow-skinned  babies,  some  of  whom 
are  carried  about  on  the  backs  of  their  brothers  and  sisters, 
just  as  they  are  in  Japan.  Everywhere  we  go  we  see  men, 
women,  and  children  as  dark  as  the  Samoans  ;  some  of 
them  are  native  Hawaiians,  and  others  are  the  descendants 
of  natives  who  have  married  white  men  or  women.  The 
native  Hawaiians  are  as  intelligent  as  we  are.  Many  of 
them  are  rich,  and  many  belong  to  the  learned  professions 
and  do  business  the  same  as  the  whites. 

19.     Till-:    INDUSTRIES    OF   THE    HAWAIIAN 
ISLANDS 

WE  have  left  Honolulu  and  are  traveling  about  from 
island  to  island,  now  stopping  at  a  sugar  or  col- 
fee  plantation,  now  spending  the  night  in  a  grass  hut 
with  our  brown  island  cousins,  and  now  going  on  horse- 
back or  foot  through  the  mountains  to  look  into  volcanoes 
or  tramp  over  craters  long  since  dead. 


THE   INDUSTRIES   OF  THE   HAWAHAN   ISLANDS        1 35 

How  delightful  it  is,  and  how  interesting !  The  climate 
is  perfect  and  the  sun  is  seldom  oppressive,  for  the  trade 
winds  temper  its  heat.  Every  hour  brings  a  new  picture  on 
both  sea  and  land,  as  we  sail  along  coast  after  coast.  Now 
we  are  on  the  side  of  an  island  away  from  the  winds.  The 
country  is  barren  in  places  and  arid  bluffs  rise  up  from  the 
sea.  Now  we  have  gone  around  to  the  opposite  shore  and  all 
is  one  dense  mass  of  green,  made  so  by  the  heavy  rainfalls, 
squeezed  from  the  air  as  it  strikes  the  cold  mountains. 
In  some  places  the  land  is  low,  and  upon  it  are  vast  sugar 
plantations  of  pale  green ;  in  others  it  rises  in  precipices 
hundreds  of  feet  high,  over  which  silvery  waterfalls  pour. 
Farther  back  are  the  mountains,  with  the  clouds  chasing 
one  another  over  them,  or  playing  hide-and-seek  in  their 
sides. 

We  go  miles  through  woods  of  ferns  and  palms,  bound 
together  with  vines  even  to  the  tops  of  the  trees ;  there 
are  wild  flowering  trees,  which  look  like  gigantic  bouquets. 
We  attempt  to  gather  specimens  of  the  different  ferns  and 
orchids,  but  there  are  so  many  we  give  up  in  despair.  We 
rest  on  logs  cushioned  with  moss  so  thick  that  we  sink 
into  it  as  on  a  green  velvet  sofa ;  and  as  we  sit  there  our 
Hawaiian  guides  bring  us  oranges,  bananas,  and  wild 
apples  plucked  from  the  trees  not  far  away.  There  is 
spring  water  almost  everywhere,  but  we  prefer  the  juice 
of  the  cocoanut  fresh  from  the  tree,  and  drink  it  through 
a  hole  in  the  shell. 

And  then  the  sugar  plantations !  The  green  stalks  are 
full  of  sweet  juice,  and  we  suck  them  like  candy.  The 
Hawaiian  Islands  have  some  of  the  best  sugar  lands  upon 
earth.      They    yield    so    much    that    they    could    give   the 


1^6        THE    INDUSTRIKS  OF   THE    HAWAIIAN    ISLANDS 

United  States  and  lunope  a  taffy  pulling  every  year  and 
still  keep  enough  for  themselves.  They  have  more  than 
sixty  great  plantations,  which  annually  produce  sugar 
worth  many  millions  of  dollars. 

The  sugar  lands  are  along  the  coast  and  on  the  lower 
slopes  of  the  mountains.  They  are  usually  owned  by 
companies  with  large  capital,  and  are  divided  up  into 
great  estates  emploving  thousands  of  native  or  Asiatic 
workmen  under  white  overseers  and  managers.  Most 
of  the  hard  labor  is  done  by  Japanese  and  Chinese  men 
and  women  who  have  little  villages  on  the  estates  and 
live  there  much  as  at  home. 

Each  estate  has  its  laboratory  where  scientific  men 
study  the  soil  to  see  what  fertilizers  it  needs  to  produce 
the  most  sugar.  They  know  how  much  juice  there  is  in 
each  pound  of  cane,  and  how  much  sugar  it  will  turii  out. 
The  larger  ])lantations  have  railroads  upon  them  to  carry 
the  cane  to  the  mills,  and  where  the  land  is  not  too  hilly 
the  plowing  is  done  with  steam  plows.  On  some  such 
plantations  they  bring  the  water  from  the  mountains  in 
great  wooden  troughs  many  miles  long  to  irrigate  the 
fields,  and  men  ride  on  horseback  through  the  ditches 
that  the  horses'  feet  may  pound  the  earth  down  and  make 
it  water  tight.  The  ditches  have  to  be  watched,  for  they 
are  liable  to  leak,  and  are  opened  and  shut  to  turn  the 
water  where  it  is  needed. 

On  some  estates  we  see  men  planting  cane.  They 
cut  the  green  stalks  into  pieces  a  few  inches  long,  each 
containing  one  or  more  joints,  and  lav  them  cue]  to  end 
in  llu'  liMi'ows.  In  :i  short  lime  new  (  ancs  s|)rout  hoin 
cac  li  joint  aiul  make  their  way  through   the  earth.     They 


THE   INDUSTRIES   uF   THE   HAWAHAN   ISLANDS         1 37 

grow  rapidly  to  the  height  of  the  highest  cornstalk  or 
higher,  when  they  are  ready  for  sugar.  They  are  then 
cut  off  close  to  the  ground,  for  the  best  sugar  water 
is  in  the  lower  part  of  the  cane.  After  this  the  cane 
left  in  the  ground  will  again  sprout  of  itself,  and  give  a 
second  good  crop,  but  the  third  year  it  is  planted  again. 


■  The  canes  are  cut  off  close  to  the  ground" 

We  watch  the  men  loading  the  cane,  and  jump  upon  one 
of  the  cars  to  ride  to  the  mill  where  the  cane  is  crushed 
between  rollers  to  get  the  juice  out.  The  juice  is  boiled 
and  clarified  by  machinery,  and  when  it  comes  forth  it  is  in 
the  sweet,  white  grains  sold  in  our  stores. 

Coffee  grows  best  on  the  lands  five  hundred  or  more 
feet  above  sea  level.  The  ])lants  are  small  trees,  many 
of  them  no  bigger  around  than  our  thumbs  and  as  straight 
as  a  cane.  They  have  shining  green  leaves  and  white 
blosst)ms,   which   load  the  air  with   perfume. 

We  visit  the  nurseries  on  the  hillsides  where  the  plants 


138 


lllL   INDL'SIKIES   OV  THE   HAWAIIAN    ISLANDS 


are  grown  from  the  coffee  beans,  noticing  the  care  retiiiired 
in  raising  them.  We  go  with  the  workmen  into  the  fields 
and  watcli  the  transphmting,  now  and  then  helping  the 
Chinese  or  Jajianese  laborers  dig  the  holes  in  the  warm, 
red  earth.  The  little  trees  grow  slowly,  and  it  is  not 
until  three  years  after  setting  out  that  they  begin  to  bear 
fruit.  They  are  in  full  bearing  at  five  years,  when  they 
produce  one  or  two  pounds,  and  sometimes  more,  to  the 
tree.     This  amount  they  will  continue  to  yield  for  years  to 

come.  The  coffee  fruit 
grows  close  to  the  stalk. 
It  looks  like  a  red 
cherry,  save  that,  in- 
stead of  a  stone,  it  has 
one  or  two  coffee  beans 
or  seeds  surrQunded 
by  pulp.  These  seeds 
are  the  coffee  of  com- 

Coffee  fruit.  mcrCC. 

The  berries  are  picked  when  they  are  ripe  and  the  flesh 
taken  off,  leaving  the  bean  with  two  thin  white  shells  or 
skins  on  it.  These  shells  are  broken  off  by  running  the 
beans  through  machines  so  made  that  they  do  not  injure 
them. 

It  is  interesting  to  watch  the  Chinese  at  work  in  the 
rice  fields.  Rice  is  grown  in  the  valleys  or  low  down  on 
the  sides  of  the  hills  where  the  patches  can  be  flooded 
with  water  again  and  again. 

And  then  the  banana  groves,  the  sweet  ripe  oranges, 
so  tempting  as  they  hang  on  the  trees,  and  the  great  fields 
of   pineapples   with   their   rosy  faces  tinged  with  yellow  ! 


THE  INDUSTRIES   OF  TIIK    HAWAIIAN   ISLANDS 


139 


Great  fields  of  pineapples. 

How  delicious  they  are  !  The  fruit  in  our  stores  does 
not  compare  with  that  fresh  from  the  stalk.  These 
pineapples  are  full  of  juice,  and  the  dead  ripe  ones  we 
can  almost  eat  with  a  spoon.  The  pineapple  grows  on 
the  ground  much  like  a  cabbage,  save  that  sharp,  sword- 
like, prickly  leaves  stand  out  on  all  sides  of  each  pine, 
and  a  bunch  of  sharp  thorns  sprouts  out  of  the  head 
of  the  fruit.  Bananas  and  pineapples  are  shipped  in 
quantities  to  the  United  States. 

We  enjoy  ourselves  with  our  little  Hawaiian  cousins 
whom  we  meet  everywhere  as  we  go  through  the  islands. 
Some  of  them  dwell  in  grass  huts,  and  others  are  rich 
and  well  educated  and  live  like  the  whites.  All  are  hos- 
pitable, and  we  often  stay  over  night  in  a  hut,  having  our 
dinner  cooked  after  the  native  Hawaiian  style,  which  we 
resolve  to  adopt  for  picnics  at  home. 


140 


iiiK  iM>rsikii:s  oi    iiii:  Hawaiian  islands 


The  cookinj;"  is  done  in  an  oven  made  h)-  (ligi;ii]j;  a  hole 
in  the  ground  and  waUing  it  with  stones.  Stones  are 
placed  in  the  bottom  and  a  stone  arch  is  built  over  the  top. 
A  fire  is  then  made  inside,  and  when  the  stones  are  red 

hot  the  oven  is  ready 
for  use.  The  arch  is 
now  knocked  down  and 
the  food,  having  been 
wrapped  in  the  leaves 
of  banana  and  other 
plants,  is  laid  on  the 
red-hot  stones.  Green 
grass  is  spread  over 
the  bundles,  and  above 
that  a  layer  of  earth, 
a  little  hole  being  left 
in  the  top. 

Water  is  then  poured 
into  the  hole  and  the 
hole  covered  up.  As 
soon  as  the  water  reaches  the  hot  stones  it  forms  steam, 
and  this  cooks  the  food.  Vegetables,  fish,  meat,  and  whole 
pigs  are  cooked  in  this  way.  Hot  stones  are  put  inside 
the  pigs  and  under  their  shoulder  blades  to  insure  their 
being  done  through.  The  banana  leaves  with  which  the 
various  viands  are  wraj)j:)ed  keep  in  the  juices,  and  the 
food  is  fit  for  a  king. 

At  nearly  every  native  meal  we  have  poi,  and  learn  to 
like  it.  It  is  one  of  the  chief  foods  of  the  natives,  and 
in  times  past  it  held  the  same  place  among  them  that 
bread  does  with  us.     Poi  is  a  sort  of  paste  or  mush  made 


little  Hawaiian  cousins." 


THE   INDUSTRIES    OF  THE    HAWAHAN   LSLANDS        I4I 

of  the  root  of  the  taro,  a  plant  somewhat  Uke  the  sweet 
potato  or  yam.  The  root  is  first  ground  to  a  paste  and 
left  until  sHghtly  fermented.  It  is  usually  served  from 
a  bowl  into  which  each  guest  dips  his  hand  and  thus  car- 
ries the  poi  to  his  mouth.  This  takes  considerable  skill, 
and  it  is  quite  a  while  before  we  are  able  to  do  it  in  the 
most  polite  way. 


Native  grass  hut. 

Our  native  friends  are  fond  of  sport.  They  like  horses, 
and  many  of  the  boys  and  girls  own  their  ponies.  The 
girls  ride  astride  and  are  not  afraid  to  dash  along  the 
beach  and  ride  far  out  into  the  water. 

The  Hawaiians  are  fond  of  the  sea.  Not  only  do  they 
ride  upon  it  in  boats  and  swim  through  it,  but  they  take 
what  might  be  called  sled  rides  on  the  breakers  as  they 
dash  in  to  the  shore.     We  join  in  this  sport  and  find  it 


142  A    VISIT   TO    A    VOLCANO 

delightful.  Our  sleds  are  boards  about  eii^ht  feet  long, 
a  foot  wide,  aiul  turned  up  at  the  end.  Each  of  us  takes 
one  of  these  boards  and  pushes  it  before  him  as  he  swims 
out  beyond  the  breakers  to  the  coral  reef  not  far  from  the 
shore.  We  take  our  stand  on  the  reef,  carefully  watching 
the  billows  as  they  roll  in  from  the  ocean,  and  at  just  the 
right  time  throw  ourselves  flat  on  the  board  on  top  of  the 
greatest  of  them.  The  mighty  wave  flies  like  the  wind. 
We  rise  and  we  fall ;  if  we  could  look  back,  we  should  see 
other  waves  following  behind.  In  a  very  few  moments, 
however,  we  are  high  on  the  beach,  thrown  out  upon  the 
soft,  white  sand.  We  take  our  boards,  go  back,  and  ride 
in  again,  rejoicing  in  the  warm  water  and  in  the  fact  of 
having  had  a  sled  ride  in  midsummer  on  the  briny  Pacific 
without  cold  fingers  or  toes. 

20.     A   VISIT   TO   A   VOLCANO 

WE  are  in  the  town  of  Hilo  (he'lo)  this  morning,  on  the 
island  of  Hawaii,  about  to  visit  Kilauea  (ke-lou-a'a), 
one  of  the  largest  active  volcanoes  of  the  world.  How 
rainy  it  is !  The  water  comes  down  in  torrents  every  few 
hours,  and  we  go  about  our  sight-seeing  between  the 
showers.  Hilo  lies  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  island  just 
under  Mauna  Kea  and  Mauna  Loa,  two  mighty  mountains 
against  which  the  winds  from  the  ocean  blow  laden  with 
moisture.  As  a  result,  it  is  about  the  rainiest  town  under 
the  American  flag  and  is  surrounded  by  a  vegetation  the 
greenest  of  green.  A  little  river  runs  through  the  town, 
pure  mountain  water  flows  along  both  sides  of  its  streets, 


A  VISIT  TO  A   VOLCANO 


H3 


and  ill  the  country  outside  there  are  creeks  at  every  few 
miles.  There  are  large  sugar  plantations  close  to  the 
town,  and  cocoanut  trees  and  fern  trees,  as  well  as  bam- 
boos and  bananas  scattered  through  it. 

Hilo  is,  next  to  Honolulu,  the  chief  city  of  the  Hawaiian 
Islands.  Its  harbors  will  accommodate  the  largest  ocean 
steamers,  and    it    has    considerable   commerce.       Its   wide 


Volcano  of  Mauna  Loa. 

Streets  are  lighted  with  electricity  ;  it  has  numerous  tele- 
phones, good  churches  and  schools,  and  large  stores  andl 
hotels. 

We  find  ourselves  among  friends  the  moment  we  land, 
and  have  no  trouble  in  arranging  for  carriages  for  our 
trip  through  the  mountains.  We  can  see  the  top  of 
Mauna  Kea  as  we  stand  in  the  city.  It  is  13,800  feet 
above  us,  and  is  the  highest  of  all  mountains  in  this  part 
of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  although  its  sister,  Mauna  Loa,  is 
almost  as  high. 


144  A    VI SI  1     K  )    A    \i  )1.CA\() 

Maiina  Kea  is  a  volcano,  but  it  died  ages  and  ages  ago. 
Mauna  Loa  is  alive.  It  is  a  great  fire  mountain  with  veins 
of  molten  lava  from  which  at  times  boiling  rivers  of  lava 
flow  down  its  sides,  destroying  everything  in  their  path. 
Some  of  these  rivers  have  come  from  the  very  top  of  the 
mountain,  and  others  from  the  mighty  crater  of  Kilauea, 
only  about  four  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 

The  topmost  crater  has  been  in  action  many  times.  In 
1880  it  sent  forth  a  deluge  of  white  molten  rock  which 
flowed  in  a  wide  stream  down  the  mountain  from  just 
above  where  we  now  are.  It  swept  through  the  forest 
and  did  not  stop  until  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the 
harbor  of  Hilo.  The  lava  hardened  as  it  flowed,  and  we 
can  see  it  now,  cold  and  dead  outside  the  town,  a  hideous 
black  mass  winding  its  way  like  a  snake  through  the  green. 
If  we  should  go  round  the  mountain,  we  should  find  other 
lava  floods  which  have  also  come  from  Mauna  Loa.  There 
was  one  in  1852  just  over  Hilo,  another  in  1859  on  the 
opposite  side,  and  farther  over  still  are  the  remains  of  the 
enormous  flood  of  lava  which  it  threw  out  in  1823. 

When  the  crater  at  the  summit  is  in  eruption,  it  crowns 
Mauna  Loa  with  a  pillar  of  fire,  which  can  be  seen  at  Hono- 
lulu, two  hundred  miles  away.  The  whole  crater  then  be- 
comes a  flaming  sea.  The  lava  rises  and  breaks  through 
the  sides  in  mighty  geysers,  deluging  the  country.  This 
crater  is  almost  three  miles  wide  and  about  ten  miles  in 
circumference.  It  is  so  wonderful  that  our  government 
has  decreed  that  it  and  Kilauea,  another  crater  which  is 
further  down  the  slope,  shall  be  a  public  park.  A  good 
road  has  been  built  to  Kilauea,  and  we  can  easily  see  this 
volcano  and  its  great  lake  of  fire. 


A   VISIT   TO    A    VOLCANO  145 

We  take  automobiles,  and  dash  out  of  Hilo,  with 
our  hats,  necks,  and  even  our  motors  decorated  with 
flowers  by  our  friends  upon  saying  good-by.  The  first 
part  of  our  journey  is  through  sugar  plantations,  the  fields 
of  pale  green  reaching  away  for  miles  on  each  side.  We 
then  go  through  a  jungle  and  on  by  coffee  fields,  where 
we  see  the  ripe  red  berries  through  the  trees  on  the 
sides  of  the  road.  There  are  hedges  of  ferns,  banks  of 
ferns,  and  ferns  springing  out  from  the  trunks  of  trees. 
Now  and  then  there  is  a  break  in  the  dense  vegetation, 
and  we  have  a  fine  view  of  the  shore  far  below  us  with  the 
blue  Pacific  Ocean  rolling  up  on  the  beach. 

The  slope  is  quite  gradual,  but  the  air  grows  cooler  as 
we  rise,  and  when  we  reach  the  Volcano  House  on  the 
edge  of  the  crater,  we  find  it  almost  as  bracing  as  in  our 
mountains  at  home.  It  is  too  late  to  explore  the  volcano, 
for  there  are  cracks  in  the  earth  and  we  dare  not  walk 
about  at  night  without  a  guide.  We  know  we  are  near  it 
by  the  strong  smell  of  burning  sulphur,  by  the  steam  jets 
here  and  there  bursting  through  the  mountain,  and  by  the 
clouds  of  fire  hanging  over  the  crater. 

We  are  told,  however,  that  we  can  not  see  more  until 
morning,  and  hence  go  to  bed.  Our  dreams  are  full  of 
volcanoes.  Now  we  are  flying  from  molten  rivers  of  lava, 
and  now  tottering  on  the  edge  of  the  crater,  and  now  a 
slip  has  thrown  us  down  into  the  fire.  We  fall  with  a 
thud,  only  to  find  that  the  edge  of  the  bed  was  the  rim  of 
the  volcano,  and  that  we  have  rolled  out  on  the  floor. 

We  get  up  at  daybreak  to  watch  the  sunrise,  and  then 
walk  to  the  mighty  black  pit  we  have  come  so  far  to  see. 
The  steam  oozes  out  of  cracks  all  about  us,  the  earth  is 

ftUR    COLONIES  —  9 


146  A   VlSir    TO   A    N'OLCANO 

hot  to  our  feet,  and  here  and  there  we  can  look  down  into 
a  crack  thiough  which  the  white-hot  lava  is  flowing. 

At  last  we  reach  the  rim  of  the  crater,  and  stand  there 
several  hundred  feet  above  the  lava  floor  that  surrounds 
the  lake  of  melted  lava  which  the  natives  have  called  "The 
House  of  Everlasting  Burning."  We  are  on  the  edge  of 
a  pit  almost  eight  miles  in  circumference.  It  is  about 
three  miles  from  where  we  are  standing  to  the  opposite 
side,  and  almost  two  miles  across  it  in  the  other  direction. 

Be  careful  where  you  step  !  The  walls  of  the  pit  are 
steep,  and  if  you  should  fall,  you  would  roll  five  hundred 
feet  before  you  struck  those  masses  of  lava  below.  See  the 
sulphur  in  the  earth  all  about  us  !  Smell  the  sulphurous 
smoke  which  the  wind  is  blowing  toward  us  from  the  burn- 
ing lake.  It  almost  takes  away  our  breath,  and  we  put  our 
handkerchiefs  to  our  noses  to  keep  out  the  fumes. 

Picking  our  way  around  the  rim  of  the  crater  we  reach 
a  place  where  the  slope  is  more  gentle,  and  crawl  down 
the  sides  to  the  floor  of  black  lava.  We  tremble  a  little 
as  we  slowly  walk  over  it,  for  there  are  cracks  here  and 
there  through  which  we  can  see  the  fiery  mass  flowing, 
and  into  which  we  thrust  our  canes  and  bring  them  out 
burning. 

How  rough  the  floor  is  !  It  is  covered  with  lava  rocks 
and  chunks  of  lava  of  all  shapes  and  sizes.  It  looks  like  a 
mass  of  black  ice  which  has  been  broken  and  then  tossed 
about  upon  a  stormy  sea  and  frozen  again. 

A  dense,  sulphurous  smoke  surrounds  us.  It  gets  into 
our  lungs  and  makes  them  sore.  Our  throats  pain  us,  and 
we  gasp  for  pure  air.  We  fan  ourselves  with  our  hats  as 
our  guide  takes  us  carefully  across  the  burning  cracks  to 


A   VISIT  TO   A   \'OLCANO 


147 


the  flaming  lake  where  the  fiery  molten  mass  is  bubbling 
and  boiling,  now  and  then  spitting  up  molten  fire,  remind- 
ing us  of  the  geysers  we  saw  in  New  Zealand.  The  face 
of  the  lake  often  changes.  Sometimes  a  crust  of  black 
lava  forms,  only  to  be  broken  by  some  fresh  force  below, 
and  perhaps  thrown  high  up  into  the  crater. 


^^^^^^^^^ys»^!mjJBII^B|BB!IIPipPi 

IB 

^^^fl^^^P^IM^-^-  ^^ ' 

g--^'''~'^i: 

.  •'                                        *:;•'■,    >,.«,, 

■     .:..:*-,.--',-'.   ■    ■            -^■■iaU.     •'-. 

"  It  looks  like  a  mass  of  black  ice." 

See,  there  is  some  lava  going  up  now!  It  flies  forth 
like  liquid  gold  and  falls  outside  the  burning  lake  on  the 
crust  not  far  from  our  feet.  We  jump  back,  with  our 
hearts  in  our  throats,  and  watch  the  molten  mass  as  it  lies 
there  on  the  crust.  See,  it  is  changing!  Its  fiery  gold 
is  turning  to  copper.  It  grows  darker  and  darker  as  it 
cools,  and  at  last  is  as  black  as  the  crust  upon  which  it  lies. 
The  guide  tells  us  it  is  dangerous  where  we  are  standing, 
and  leads  us  farther  away. 


148 


THE   ISLAND   OF  GUAM 


A  little  later  ho  takes  his  staff  and  slips  down  close  to 
the  lake  and  dips  it  into  the  lava,  some  of  which  sticks  to 
it.  He  then  brings  the  staff  up,  and,  before  it  is  cold, 
knocks  off  the  lava  and  then  presses  a  cent  into  it.  He 
does  this  again  and  again  until  he  has  a  piece  of  lava  hold- 
ing a  penny  for  each  of  our  party.  The  lava  cools  while 
we  wait,  and  we  shall  each  take  our  penny  home  to  show 
to  our  friends. 

21.     THE    ISLAND    OF   GUAM 


WE    are    again    on    the    water    steaming    westward 
through    the  sunny   Pacific  below  the    Tropic  of 
Cancer.     Our  course   is  a   little  to  the  south,  for  we  are 

bound  for  the  Philippines,  and 
have  planned  to  stop  at  Guam 
(gwam)  on  the  way. 

Our  ship  is  a  government 
transport  carrying  soldiers  and 
army  supplies  to  our  colonial 
possessions,  and  it  is  only  by 
special  permit  from  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  that 
we  are  allowed  to  travel  upon 
it.  What  a  magnificent  vessel 
it  is!  It  is  finer  than  any  we 
have  yet  seen  during  our  tour 
of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  so  broad 
that  it  would  fill  a  roadway  fifty  feet  wide  from  fence  to 
fence,  and  so  deep  that  if  the  keel  stood  on  the  ground, 


THE   ISLAND   OF   GUAM  I49 

we  should  be  almost  even  with  the  tops  of  the  trees  as  we 
walk  the  hurricane  deck  or  climb  about  in  the  rigging. 

The  vessel  is  divided  up  into  rooms,  compartments,  and 
quarters.  There  are  about  two  thousand  men  on  board, 
including  sailors,  soldiers,  and  ofificers,  and  it  takes  a  vast 
deal  of  food  to  supply  them.  The  kitchen  is  enormous  ; 
there  is  a  bakery  where  a  score  of  men  knead  away  day 
after  day  making  bread  for  us  all,  and  cold  storage  rooms 
where  the  meat,  vegetables,  and  fruits  put  on  board  at 
Honolulu  or  San  Francisco  are  kept  fresh  throughout  the 
voyage.  The  ship  is  heated  by  steam  and  Hghted  by  elec- 
tricity. It  has  exercise  decks  and  reading  rooms,  where 
are  also  a  piano  and  an  organ  and  other  musical  instru- 
ments. 

The  soldiers  are  of  all  classes,  and  our  life  on  the  ocean 
is  not  unlike  that  of  a  camp.  The  American  flag  floats 
over  us.  We  are  awakened  every  morning  by  the  sound 
of  the  bugle,  and  the  bugle  calls  us  to  breakfast,  dinner, 
and  supper.  It  gives  the  signals  for  guard-mounting, 
inspection,  and  exercise,  and  early  in  the  evening  warns 
us  to  put  out  our  lights  and  get  into  bed. 

Some  of  the  time  we  live  with  the  officers  in  the  cabins 
and  at  other  times  with  the  private  soldiers,  lying  on  sheets 
of  canvas  so  stretched  between  iron  pipes  that  they  form 
comfortable  beds.  The  men  sleep  one  above  the  other,  in 
tiers  of  such  bunks ;  and  we  enjoy  ourselves  as  we  lie 
there  chatting  with  them,  and  listening  to  their  stories  of 
camp  life  and  battle. 

And  then  there  are  games  upon  deck.  The  men  are 
glad  to  play  quoits  and  shovel  board  with  us  when  off 
duty,  and  some  of  them  even  teach  us  to  drill,  allowing  us 


150  'rilK    ISLAND    1)1-    Cl'AM 

in  form  a  little  siiiiad  of  our  own.  The  days  ^o  too  fast, 
and  when,  after  more  than  a  week,  we  see  a  low  island  of 
blue  rising  from  the  sea,  and  are  told  it  is  Guam,  we  can 
hardly  believe  it. 

Nevertheless  it  is  true.  We  might  sail  across  the  Atlan- 
tic from  New  York  to  Liverpool  and  not  go  so  far  as  we 
have  now  come  from  Honolulu  on  our  way  to  the  Philip- 
pines, and  we  have  still  almost  one  third  of  the  journey 
to  make.  Guam  is  more  than  thirty-three  hundred  miles 
from  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  three  thousand  miles  from 
Samoa,  more  than  fifteen  hundred  miles  from  Manila,  and 
about  thirteen  hundred  miles  southeast  of  Yokohama, 
Japan.  It  is  somewhat  like  Tutuila,  a  supply  point  for 
coal  and  other  things  on  the  highroads  of  the  ocean.  It 
is  one  of  the  Ladrones,  an  islet  archipelago  hundreds  of 
miles  long  which  was  discovered  by  Magellan  in  1521,  and 
which  belonged  to  Spain  until  our  war  with  that  country, 
when  Guam  was  ceded  to  the  United  States.  At  about 
the  same  time  the  rest  of  the  Ladrones  were  sold  by  Spain 
to  Germany.  Guam  is  the  largest  of  these  islands,  but  it 
is  only  thirty  miles  long  and  from  three  to  nine  miles  in 
width.      It  is  valuable  to  us  only  on  account  of  its  position. 

Now  we  are  nearer  and  can  see  that  the  island  is  vol- 
canic, and  covered  with  green.  It  is  made  up  of  low- 
mountains  or  hills,  with  stretches  of  sand  and  lowlands 
along  the  coast,  and  especially  at  the  north  and  south  ends. 
Most  of  it  is  guarded  by  coral  reefs,  and  our  transport  has 
to  move  slowly  in  entering  the  harbor  of  San  Louis  d'Apra 
(san  lu'e  da'pra),  where  we  shall  land.  The  island  is 
shaped  like  the  sole  of  a  shoe,  and  this  harbor  is  on  the 
outside  not  far  from  the  instep. 


THE   ISLAND   OF   GUAM 


151 


The  governor  comes  out  to  the  transport ;  it  is  in  his 
launch  that  we  go  to  the  shore,  and  with  him  we  drive  to 
the  town  of  Agana  (a-gan'ya),  the  largest  on  the  island, 
situated  about  seven  miles  up  the  coast.  The  road  skirts 
the  beach  all  the  way,  and  the  ride  is  delightful.  We  go 
under  beautiful  palms,  whose  cocoanuts  make  our  mouths 
water  as  we  think  of  the  sweet  juice  within.     We  pass 


street  in  Agana. 

many  rice  fields  where  brown-skinned  men  are  plowing 
with  the  ungainly  buffaloes  which  serve  as  the  farm  and 
draft  horses  of  Guam. 

Here  and  there  we  see  little  huts  thatched  with  palm 
leaves  looking  out  of  the  trees,  and  now  and  then  pass 
brown-skinned  men,  women,  and  children  clad  in  white  or 
colored  cottons  riding  or  walking  along  the  road.  Tiie 
M'omen  have  loose  gowns  with  very  full  sleeves,  and  the 


152  THE   ISLAND    OF   GUAM 

men  ami  lioys  wear  their  shirts  outside  their  trousers. 
They  are  the  natives,  our  little  brown  cousins  of  Guam  ; 
they  are  much  like  the  Filipinos,  and  are  the  descendants 
of  people  who  have  come  here  from  the  Philipj)inc  Islands. 

We  have  but  a  short  time  on  the  island,  our  travels  be- 
ing confined  to  a  day  in  Agana  and  a  trip  to  the  north  and 
south  coast.  Agana  has  only  seven  or  eight  thousand 
pe()j)le.  It  has  a  church  or  so,  the  government  offices, 
a  few  wooden  buildings,  some  white  adobe  houses  roofed 
with  red  tiles,  and  many  huts  made  of  bamboo  poles 
covered  with  palm  leaves.  There  are  a  few  stores  and 
a  school  building  or  so.  Many  of  the  natives  speak  Span- 
ish, and  some  know  enough  English  to  act  as  our  guides. 

In  our  travels  outside  Agana  we  now  and  then  ride  up 
into  the  mountains  to  hunt  the  deer  and  wild  hogs  for  which 
Guam  is  noted.  We  see  many  birds,  including  starlings, 
crows,  snipes,  owls,  and  wild  ducks.  There  are  fruit-eat- 
ing doves  with  rosy  crowns,  green  backs,  and  yellow  and 
purple  breasts,  and  also  the  reed  warbler  which  sings  melo- 
diously. We  visit  the  farms  on  the  fertile  plains.  They  are 
small,  for  the  territory  is  well  divided  among  the  people. 

The  chief  products  are  rice,  cacao,  sugar,  and  corn. 
There  are  also  groves  of  bananas  and  cocoanut  trees,  and 
some  copra  is  made  for  export.  All  together,  however,  the 
industries  are  few,  and  the  island  is  of  no  commercial 
importance. 

The  climate  is  hot,  and  at  this  time  too  wet  for  comfort- 
able travel.  It  rains  every  few  hours,  the  showers  have 
made  the  roads  muddy,  and  we  are  glad  when  we  are 
again  back  on  the  transport  and  on  the  way  to  the 
Philippines. 


GENERAL   VIEW   OF  THE   PHILIPPINE   ISLANDS         1 53 

22.     GENERAL   VIEW   OF   THE   PHILIPPINE 
ISLANDS 

WE  talk  much  of  the  Philippines  as  we  steam  on 
toward  Manila.  Several  of  the  officers  on  the 
transport  have  been  stationed  on  the  islands,  and  we  sit 
with  them  out  under  the  awnings  on  deck  and  look  ov^er 
the  government  maps,  studying  our  colonial  possessions 
of  the  western  Pacific. 

The  Philippine  Islands  were  discovered  only  about 
twenty-nine  years  after  Columbus  came  to  America.  All 
Europe  was  then  excited  by  the  stories  of  the  New  World, 
and  many  adventurous  men  started  westward  to  look  up 
new  waterways  and  new  lands.  Among  others  was  Fer- 
dinand Magellan,  a  Portuguese  navigator,  who  commanded 
a  squadron  equipped  by  Charles  V  of  Spain.  Magellan  had 
already  visited  the  Malay  Archipelago  by  going  eastward, 
and  he  hoped  to  find  a  westward  route  to  it  and  Asia.  No 
one  then  knew  how  wide  the  Pacific  Ocean  was,  and  we  may 
suppose  that  Magellan  thought  that  Asia  lay  only  a  short 
distance  on  the  other  side  of  the  lands  discovered  by 
Columbus. 

At  any  rate,  he  sailed  from  Spain  in  15 19  to  the  eastern 
coast  of  South  America  and  made  various  explorations, 
traveling  southward  along  that  coast  until  he  came  to  the 
Strait  of  Magellan,  through  which  he  crossed  into  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  Magellan  was  the  first  to  find  the  strait, 
and  it  was  named  after  him.  He  had  bad  weather  on  the 
Atlantic  side  of  lower  South  America,  but  it  was  so  pleas- 
ant after  he  had  passed  through  the  strait  that  he  named 


PHILIPPINE 
ISLANDS 

801.E  Of  MILES 

lAo       \M      aX* 


'r'°    MANILA 


BRITISH 


O      'SULU  (jO^P*>  <^ 

/OSUASI  ,>^ 


O    S    i    B    B    S    iS^i 


Loneltude 


154 


GEXERAI.   VIEW   OE  THE   nilLIPPIXE   ISLANDS         I  55 

the  sea  the  Pacific,  or  quiet  ocean.  The  Pacific  had  been 
discovered  by  Balboa  before  this,  but  Magellan  gave  it 
its  name. 

Sailing  to  the  northward  and  westward,  Magellan  went 
on  and  on  until  he  discovered  the  Ladrone  Group,  to 
which  Guam  belongs.  A  little  later,  on  March  16,  1521, 
he  sighted  the  Philippines  and  landed  on  the  island  of 
Cebu  (sa-boo'),  in  about  the  center  of  the  archipelago. 
Here  he  met  the  king  of  Cebu,  who  acknowledged  alle- 
giance to  Spain  and  was  baptized  as  a  Christian,  with 
hundreds  of  his  followers.  A  short  time  after  this  Ma- 
gellan tried  to  subdue  the  people  of  Mactan,  a  little 
island  lying  off  Cebu,  and  was  killed  by  an  arrow  shot 
by  a  native. 

The  king  of  Cebu  thereupon  rebelled  and  the  squadron 
was  forced  to  leave.  It  sailed  southward  and  westward, 
touching  at  Borneo,  and  then  went  on  to  the  Moluccas, 
where  it  got  a  cargo  of  spices.  One  ship  then  sailed  for 
Europe  by  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  finally 
reached  Spain,  having  made  the  first  voyage  around  the 
world.  Magellan  named  the  islands  the  St.  Lazarus  Islands 
because  they  were  discovered  on  St.  Lazarus  Day,  but  the 
name  was  afterward  changed  to  the  Philippine  Islands,  in 
honor  of  Philip  II  of  Spain,  the  son  of  Charles  V. 

Thus  the  Spaniards  got  their  title  to  the  Philippines  by 
right  of  discovery.  They  conquered  most  of  the  natives 
from  time  to  time  and  converted  them  to  Christianity. 
They  held  the  islands  until  the  close  of  the  Spanish- 
American  War,  when  by  the  treaty  made  at  Paris  thev 
were  ceded  to  us  upon  the  payment  of  twenty  million 
dollars  to  Spain. 


156        GENKRAL   VIEW   OF  THE   nilLirPINE   ISLANDS 

Our  route  from  Guam  is  somewhat  the  same  as  that  of 
Magellan,  and  as  we  near  the  islands  we  see  that  they  are, 
in  respect  to  our  homes,  almost  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
globe.  There  are  two  clocks  on  the  transport,  one  ot 
which  keeps  Washington  time  and  the  other  shi[)  time,  the 
latter  being  changed  every  day  to  correspond  with  our 
longitude.  By  comparing  the  two  as  the  days  go  on,  we 
find  the  ship  time  is  now  actually  more  than  thirteen  hours 
ahead  of  that  of  our  national  capital,  so  that  when  it  is 
high  noon  at  Washington  it  is  after  one  o'clock  the  next 
morning  at  Manila.  We  go  again  and  again  to  look  at  the 
clocks,  and  imagine  what  our  friends  are  doing  at  home. 

It  puzzles  us  why  the  time  is  so  different,  and  how  the 
days  are  kept  the  same  all  over  the  world.  We  know  that 
as  we  go  westward  the  sun  rises  one  hour  later  for  every 
fifteen  degrees  of  longitude,  and  that  if  we  kept  going  on 
in  that  direction  for  the  whole  three  hundred  and  sixty 
degrees,  or  the  entire  circumference  of  the  earth,  we  should 
lose  a  day,  and  upon  arriving  at  home  should  be  one  day 
behind  our  fellows  who  had  remained  there  since  we  left. 
We  might  think  we  were  landing  on  Saturday,  and  start 
out  to  work  or  play  before  we  knew  it  was  Sunday  instead. 
In  taking  a  trip  around  the  world  in  the  opposite  direction, 
we  should  find  ourselves  at  the  close  one  day  ahead. 

In  order  to  have  the  same  date  all  over  the  world,  mari- 
ners going  westward  add  a  day  on  crossing  a  meridian  of 
longitude  fixed  upon  for  that  purpose,  and  going  eastward 
one  day  is  dropped.  The  meridian  chosen  is  the  one 
hundred  eightieth.  When  we  crossed  this  meridian  from 
Honolulu  to  (kiam,  the  captain  put  up  a  notice  in  the 
saloon  which  read  :  — 


GENERAL   VIEW    OV   THE    lillLlPPINE    ISLANDS         1 57 

"To<lay  is  Saturday,  Icvmonow  will  l)c  Monday."  We 
have  thus  made  our  day  of  the  week  and  month  the  same 
as  that  of  our  people  at  home. 

It  is  interesting  to  know  that  the  Philippine  Islands  had 
for  more  than  three  centuries  a  different  da)  of  the  week 
from  us,  because  the  early  navigators  were  not  aware  of 
this  necessity  of  adjusting  the  date  when  they  crossed  the 
'  meridian  one  hundred  eighty.  They  kept  the  same  days 
of  the  week  which  they  brought  with  them  from  the  East, 
and  the  day  they  gave  was  adopted  as  the  proper  day  of 
the  week  in  the  Philippines.  At  the  same  time  the  days 
for  Hongkong  and  the  other  countries  about,  which  had 
been  fixed  by  people  coming  from  Europe,  were  the  same 
as  those  of  the  rest  of  the  world,  so  that  Hongkong, 
which  is  only  a  few  hundred  miles  from  Manila,  had  its 
Sunday  while  Manila  was  having  Monday.  It  was  not 
until  the  31st  of  December,  1844,  that  the  matter  was  recti- 
fied by  dropping  that  day  from  the  Manilan  calendar. 

We  are  surprised  at  the  size  of  the  Philippines,  and  the 
space  they  take  on  the  map  of  the  globe.  If  we  could 
lift  up  the  archipelago,  including  the  water  within  its 
boundaries,  and  drop  it  upon  the  United  States,  it  would 
cover  about  one  fourth  of  the  country.  From  north  to 
south  it  is  longer  than  the  distance  from  Boston  to  Chicago, 
and  from  east  to  west  its  width  is  greater  than  the  distance 
from  Boston  to  Pittsburg. 

By  far  the  greater  part  of  this  area  is  water,  but  the 
islands  are  more  than  three  thousand  in  number,  and 
some  are  so  large  that  all  together  the  Philippines  have 
more  land  than  any  state  of  the  Union,  except  four. 
They  have  almost  twice  as  much  land  as  all  New  P^ngland, 


158      (;i;\Kk\i.  \iK\v  OK  riiK  i>im.ii>iM\K  islands 

and  ;ib()ut  as  nuich  as  the  combined  areas  of  Massachusetts, 
Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and 
Delaware.  Luzon  (loo-zon')  is  as  big  as  Ohio,  and  Min- 
danao (niin-dii-na'o)  as  big  as  Indiana.  Samar  (sa'mar), 
Negros  (na'gros),  Panay  (pa-nl'),  and  Palawan  (pa-la' wan) 
are  each  about  the  size  of  Connecticut,  and  Leyte  (la'ta) 
is  larger  than  Delaware. 

The  islands  are  largely  volcanic,  having  mountains 
covered  with  valuable  timber,  and  filled  with  coal,  iron, 
copper,  and  other  minerals,  and  valleys  and  plains  where 
the  soil  is  so  fertile  that  it  produces  large  crops  of  sugar, 
rice,  tobacco,  and  hemj),  and  all  sorts  of  tropical  fruits. 
The  country  is  everywhere  well  watered.  It  has  some 
navigable  rivers  and   lakes,  and  many  excellent   harbors. 

The  Philippines  lie  in  the  North  Torrid  Zone,  but  the 
climate  is  good  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  and  so  tem- 
pered by  the  winds  from  the  sea  and  the  mountains  that 
our  people  can  live  here  in  comfort.  The  hottest  months 
are  April,  May,  and  June,  and  the  coldest  are  November, 
December,  January,  and  February.  There  is  also,  in  the 
interior  and  on  the  western  coa.sts,  a  dry  season  from  about 
the  first  of  November  until  the  end  of  May,  and  a  rainy 
season  between  June  and  October,  inclusive. 

These  islands  are  not  like  New  Guinea,  the  vast  country 
we  visited  north  of  Australia,  a  wild  land  sparsely  inhabited 
by  savages.  There  are  wild  men,  it  is  true,  but  the  greater 
part  of  the  inhabitants  are  Christians,  and  many  others 
also  are  more  or  less  civilized. 

The  population  is  large.  When  Uncle  Sam  adopted 
the  Filipinos,  he  made  a  mighty  addition  to  our  national 
family.     Our  little  brown  cousins  out  here  are  about  one 


GENERAL   VIEW   OF  THE   rHILIPriNE   ISLANDS 


159 


twelfth  of  our  whole  population.  That  is,  if  Uncle  Sam 
could  put  all  of  his  people  into  one  field  and  mix  them 
thoroughly,  one  in  each  dozen  would  be  a  brown-skinned 
Filipino. 

There  are  over  eight  million  people  in  the  islands, 
including  several  different  races  and  many  tribes,  each  of 
which  has  its  own  peculiar  habits  and 
customs.  There  are,  in  the  first  place, 
the  Negritos  (na-gre'tos),  who  are  sup- 
posed to  be  the  first  inhabitants,  and  to 
have  come  from  New  Guinea.  They  are 
little  black  men  with  frizzly  hair,  who 
live  in  the  highest  mountains  and  other 
inaccessible  places.  They  are  few  in 
number,  and  are  widely  scattered. 

Next  are  the  Indonesians,  composing 
about  sixteen  tribes,  found  chiefly  in  the 
island  of  Mindanao.  They  are  gener- 
ally savage,  or  at  the  best  semicivilized. 
They  have  tall  and  strong  frames,  light 
yellow  skins,  aquiline  noses,  and  wavy 
black  hair. 

Last,  and  more  important  than  the  two  other  classes,  are 
the  Malayans,  who  form  almost  the  whole  population. 
They  are  the  descendants  of  Malays  who  have  come 
here  from  time  to  time  from  Malaysia  and  intermarried 
with  the  Negritos  and  Indonesians,  and  also  with  the 
Chinese,  Japanese,  and  Europeans  who  have  found  their 
way  to  the  islands.  Of  this  mixed  class  there  are  more 
than  seven  millions ;  some  of  them  are  pagans,  some  are 
Mohammedan   Moros,  and  the  remainder,  comprising  the 


"There  are  wild  men, 
it  is  true." 


l6o        CEXHRAl.   VIKW   OF    llli:    rilll.HTlNE   ISLANDS 


most  of  the  Malayans,  arc  Christians.  In  addition  to 
the  natives  there  arc  also  some  Spaniards  and  other 
Euroi)cans,  and  now  that  we  have  the  islands,  many 
Americans. 

But  we  shall  see  the  j)eo{)le  themselves  as  we  travel 
over  the  country.  The  natives  are  different  in  different 
parts  of  the  archipelago,  and,  broadly  speaking,  the  islands 


"Visayans.  people  much  like  the  Tagalos," 

may  be  divided  into  three  zones,  according  to  the  predomi- 
nant races  which  inhabit  them.  The  northern  zone,  where 
we  shall  first  land,  embraces  Luzon  and  its  neighboring 
islands.  There  are  the  people  with  whom  we  had  the 
most  trouble  when  we  took  possession  of  the  country. 
They  are  Tagalos  (ta-gal'os)  and  other  similar  tribes, 
many  of  them  well  educated  and  all  having  more  or  less 
civilization. 

South  of  Luzon  and  north  of  Mindanao  is  what  might 
be   called  the  middle  zone.      It   consists   of  the  Visayan 


MANILA,   THE   CAPITAL  OF  THE    PHILIPPLNES  l6l 

(ve-sa'yiin)  Islands,  inhabited  by  Visayan  people  much  hke 
the  Tagalos,  although  they  are  more  peaceful  and  not  so 
courageous.  They  are  also  civilized,  having  many  villages 
and  towns,  plantations  and  farms. 

South  of  this  Visayan  Island  Zone  lies  the  third  and 
last  zone,  the  zone  of  the  Moros  or  our  Mohammedan 
cousins.  It  includes  the  great  island  of  Mindanao,  the 
pear-shaped  island  of  Basilan,  the  island  of  Palawan,  and 
the  hundreds  of  islands  of  the  Sulu  Group  which  may  be 
seen  dotting  the  water  like  a  series  of  stepping  stones  from 
Mindanao  to  Borneo. 

These  zones  we  must  remember  are  not  inhabited  entirely 
by  the  above-mentioned  races.  Each  island  has  its  wild 
tribes  which  live  in  the  mountains,  and  the  chief  races 
have  different  tribes  or  families,  each  having  its  own 
language.  There  are  so  many  odd  natives  that  we  feel 
rather  queer  when  we  remember  that  they  are  all  now 
under  control  of  the  United  States,  and  as  such  our 
cousins  under  our  great  Uncle  Sam. 


ot*:c 


23.     MANILA,    THE   CAPITAL   OF   THE 
PHILIPPINES 

THE  day  is  just  breaking,  but  we  are  already  on  deck 
at  the  prow  of  the  ship  looking  at  the  coast  of  Luzon. 
On  both  sides  of  us  are  low,  green  hills  with  smoky  blue 
mountains  behind  them,  and  right  in  front  is  a  little  green 
island  with  the  sun  rising  over  it.  That  island  is  Cor- 
regidor  (c6r-ra-he-thor'),  from  which  the  Spaniards  fired 


1 62  THK    I'llIl.ll'PlNKS 

at  Admiral  Dewey  as  he  sailed  into  the  Kay  of  Manila 
to  fight  his  great  battle.  It  divides  the  entrance  to  the 
bay  into  two  channels,  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes  floating 
over  it  shows  that  it  is  now  held  by  American  soldiers. 
We  follow  the  same  course  that  Dewey  took  and  are 
soon  in  the  bay. 

What  an  enormous  body  of  water  it  is!  In  its  center 
we  are  almost  out  of  sight  of  land,  and  the  blue  hills 
become  a  faint  haze  in  the  distance.  It  takes  us  sev- 
eral hours  to  cross  over  to  Manila  on  the  opposite  side. 
We  pass  ships  of  all  kinds  on  the  way,  and  anchor 
at  last  near  the  mouth  of  the  Pasig  River  in  one  of  the 
busiest  harbors  on  this  side  the  world.  There  are  ships 
from  China,  Japan,  Australia,  and  India  all  about  us ; 
there  are  vessels  from  Europe,  taking  on  and  putting 
off  cargo,  and  transports  and  other  ships  from  the  United 
States ;  there  are  steamers  coming  in  from  and  going 
out  to  different  parts  of  the  Philippines,  and  sailing 
vessels  from  the  many  islands  about.  Saucy  little  tug- 
boats are  hauling  huge  barges,  called  "cascoes,"  steam 
launches  are  flying  over  the  waves,  and  ferryboats  for 
Cavite  (ka-ve'ta)  and  other  places  are  moving  by  us 
loaded  with  passengers.  There  are  scores  of  rowboats 
worked  by  brown-skinned  oarsmen  and  fishing  boats 
bringing  their  catch  to  the  markets. 

We  ride  to  the  shore  in  one  of  the  government  launches, 
making  our  way  in  and  out  through  the  shipping  of  the 
wide  Pasig  River,  and  are  landed  in  the  heart  of  the  city. 
Here  we  take  carromatas,  the  two-wheeled  pony  cabs  of 
the  Philippines,  for  the  hotel.  Our  drivers  are  little  brown 
men  in  white  clothes,  who  whip  up  their  ponies  and  race 


MANILA,    THE   CAPITAL  1 63 

through  the  streets,  clashing  in  and  out  ol  the  mass  ol 
carts,  wagons,  and  cabs  so  recklessly  that  our  hearts 
are  in  our  throats  all  the  way,  and  we  scarcely  see  the 
strange  sights  about  us.  We  arrive  safely,  however,  and 
later  on  become  used  to  such  driving,  and  like  it,  especially 
as  the  weather  is  too  hot  for  walking. 

After  a  dinner  at  the  hotel  we  visit  the  church  of  Saint 
Sebastian,  on  the  edge  of  Manila,  for  a  bird's-eye  view  of 
the  city.  A  black-gowned  priest  opens  the  door,  and  with 
him  we  walk  up  and  up  the  hundreds  of  steps  of  the  slim, 
spiral  staircase  to  the  top  of  the  tower,  where  we  have  all 
Manila  below  us. 

The  city  lies  on  a  plain  backed  by  blue  mountains  which 
reach  on  and  on  about  the  silvery  waters  of  the  great  bay. 
The  buildings  are  low  one  and  two  story  houses  with  the 
domes  and  towers  of  churches  rising  above  them ;  there 
are  green  trees  here  and  there  showing  out  above  the 
house  roofs.  The  city  skirts  the  bay  for  miles,  extending 
far  back  and  losing  itself  in  a  green  plain  spotted 
with  trees.  There  are  in  all  about  twenty  square  miles  of 
buildings,  and  as  we  look  we  can  see  something  of  the  impor- 
tance of  our  Philippine  capital.  Manila  has  about  as  many 
people  as  Indianapolis;  it  is  the  chief  center  of  commerce 
and  trade  for  all  of  the  islands,  and  it  is  one  of  the  princi- 
pal cities  of  this  thickly  populated  part  of  the  globe. 

Take  your  field  glass  and  look  at  it  more  closely.  See 
how  the  plain  is  cut  up  by  the  wide  streets  crossing  one 
another  at  all  sorts  of  angles.  The  waterways  are  as 
many  as  in  the  cities  of  Holland.  That  stream  just  be- 
low is  the  Pasig  River,  which  flows  from  the  Laguna  de 
Bay,  a  great  lake  not  far  away,  to  the  Bay  of  Manila.     It 

OUR   COLONIES — lO 


164 


TIIK    rilll-llTlXES 


is  n;ivii;ablc  for  small  slcaiiicrs,  and  ihcrc  arc  canals  run- 
ning out  from  it  in  every  direction,  enabling  boats  to  reach 
any  part  of  the  city. 

Now  notice  the  mass  of  houses  on  the  left  of  the  river 
with  the  big  wall  about  them.  That  is  Old  Manila  con- 
nected with  the  business  part  of  the  city  by  the  Bridge  of 
Spain,  which  you  can  see  crossing  the  Pasig.     It  is  there 


The  EscoUa,  Manila. 

that  many  of  the  officials  have  their  offices,  and  there  also 
are  many  churches  and  monasteries,  colleges  and  schools. 
That  monument  on  the  bank  of  the  river  was  erected  by 
the  Spaniards  to  Ferdinand  Magellan. 

The  part  of  the  city  outside  the  wall  and  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river  is  where  most  of  the  people  live,  and 
where  nearly  all  the  business  is  done.  The  Escolta  (es- 
col'ta),  the  chief  business  street,  is  just  over  the  bridge,  and 
the  markets  are  across  another  bridge  still  farther  away. 


MANILA,   THE  CAPITAL  1 65 

Beyond  the  walled  city  skirting  the  bay  are  Malate 
(ma-la'ta)  and  other  suburbs,  fine  residence  sections,  and 
between  them  and  the  walled  city  facing  the  sea  is  the 
Luneta,  the  park  where  fashionable  Manila  comes  to  drive 
and  listen  to  the  music  from  five  o'clock  until  dusk  every 
afternoon.  We  can  see  the  moving  crowd  through  the 
field  glass,  and  the  music,  though  faint,  floats  up  to  our 
ears. 

Let  us  turn  our  backs  to  the  city  and  look  at  the  fields. 
They  are  as  green  as  our  country  in  June.  The  plain  is 
dotted  here  and  there  with  clumps  of  bamboo  and  tall 
palms.  There  are  vegetable  gardens,  patches  of  rice,  and 
groves  of  bananas,  with  roads  and  streams  running  through 
them. 

The  sun  hangs  low  as  we  look,  and  its  rays  catch  the 
crowd  of  men  and  women  coming  back  to  Manila  from 
their  work  outside  the  city,  making  bright-colored  ribbons 
through  the  green  fields.  Most  of  the  men  are  dressed 
in  white  cotton,  and  the  women  wear  black  shawls  and 
red  skirts,  which  the  sun's  rays  turn  to  streaks  of  red  and 
black  as  they  move  over  the  green. 

Suppose  we  go  down  and  take  a  walk  through  the 
streets.  They  are  thronged  with  people,  and  we  have  a 
good  chance  to  see  some  of  the  strange  characters  of  this 
very  strange  city.  We  are  moving  along  with  hundreds 
of  little  men.  women,  and  children,  our  brown-skinned 
cousins  of  the  Philippine  Islands.  There  are  Filipinos 
of  all  classes,  ages,  and  sizes.  Some  of  the  boys  go 
along  hand  in  hand,  and  the  girls  are  walking  with  their 
arms  around  the  waists  of  their  friends. 

Hear  the  people  talking  as  they  move  onward.     Their 


1 66 


TIIK    rilll.ll'Ii.NKS 


language  is  musical  and  somewhat  like  Spanish,  but  we 
can  not  understand  it.  Now  and  then  a  girl  laughs,  and  her 
white  teeth  show  out  against  her  brown  skin.  The  Filipi- 
nos are  by  no  means  bad  looking.  They  are  straight  and 
well  formed,  although  not  so  tall  as  we  are.  They  have 
black  eyes,  almost  slanting,  and  coarse  black  hair.  Their 
lips  are  not  thick,  and  their  noses  are  as  straight  as  our 


Filipino  children 

own.  They  look  clean,  and  we  learn  that  most  of  them 
take  a  bath  every  day.  See  those  two  women  with  their 
hair  down  their  backs.  They  have  come  from  a  dip  in 
one  of  the  canals,  and  can  not  do  up  their  hair  until  it  is 
dry.  Other  women  wear  their  hair  in  great  knots  on  the 
tops  of  their  heads.  Many  of  them  are  bareheaded,  and 
most  of  the  boys  have  no  hats. 

What   a   curious    dress !     The    women    and    girls  wear 


MANILA,   THE   CAPITAL  167 


Filipino  family. 

a  flowing  skirt  around  which  is  wound  a  broad  strip  of 
cloth  tucked  in  at  the  waist  and  forming  a  sort  of  over- 
skirt.  Above  this  is  a  waist  of  gauze  made  low  at  the 
neck,  with  bell-like  sleeves  cut  off  at  the  elbow.  The  stuff 
is  so  thin  that  the  skin  shows  through,  and  it  must  be 
delightfully  cool  ;  it  is  made  of  the  fiber  of  the  pineapple 
and  other  plants.  Around  the  neck  is  a  broad  starched 
collar.  Many  of  the  women  wear  heelless  slippers  and  the 
girls  are  barefooted. 

Take  a  look  at  the  men.  What  would  you  think  if  half 
the  men  and  boys  of  your  town  should  come  out  with  their 
shirts  outside  their  trousers  ?  That  is  what  they  do  here. 
It  seems  strange  at  first;  but  it  is  cooler  to  wear  one's 
shirt  in  that  way,  and  we  must  remember  that  we  are  not 
very  far  north  of  the  P^^quator.  Some  shirts  are  so  thin 
that  we  can  see  the  brown   skin  showing  through  as  they 


l6S  TIIF.    nilLIlTlNES 

llap  .ilxiiil  in  the  hn'ivc.  Tlu'  men  ol  Uic  bcllci"  classes 
wear  eoats,  and  some  have  on  suits  of  white  muslin. 
Many  Americans  here  are  dressed  in  white  linen  or  yellow 
khaki,  and  they  tell  us  we  had  best  buy  such  suits  for  our- 
selves. We  meet  better  clad  natives  as  we  go  into  the 
Escolta,  and  find  that  the  Filipinos  of  the  higher  classes 
dress  much  as  we  do. 

How  crowded  it  is !  The  sidewalks  are  about  three  feet 
wide,  with  hardly  room  enough  for  three  persons  abreast. 
We  are  often  shoved  into  the  roadway  and  have  to  look 
out  for  the  automobiles,  carts,  carromatas,  and  carriages 
which  are  hurrying  in  both  directions.  Every  coachman  is 
flogging  his  pony,  and  we  wonder  if  the  Filipinos  know 
how  to  drive  slowly. 

The  only  slow  things  on  the  road  are  the  carabaos,  or 
water  buffaloes,  dragging  great  drays  loaded  with  hemp, 
tobacco,  and  all  sorts  of  goods.  There  come  two  now,  one 
following  the  other,  each  pulHng  a  dray.  Jump  into  this 
doorway  and  wait  until  they  pass. 

Did  you  ever  see  animals  so  ugly  ?  They  are  of  the 
cow  family,  but  I  am  sure  no  respectable  American  cow 
would  acknowledge  the  relationship.  Their  skins  look 
more  like  that  of  a  pig,  and  the  thin,  bristling  black  hair 
so  stands  out  upon  them  that  you  can  see  the  dark  skin 
shining  through.  Most  of  the  carabaos  are  black,  although 
we  now  and  then  sec  some  blond  ones  with  white  hair  and 
a  rosy  red  hide. 

They  are  all  very  dirty,  for  they  are  like  pigs,  in  that 
they  wallow  in  the  mud.  They  delight  in  the  water, 
and  must  have  their  baths  several  times  a  day,  or  they 
will  grow  crazy.     For  this  reason  the  drivers  of  the  carts 


MANILA,   THE   CAPITAL 


169 


stop  now  and  then  as  they  cross  a  river  or  canal,  and  allow 
their  beasts  to  take  a  ten-minute  bath.  The  huge  animals 
walk  down  the  steps  and  lie  down,  with  nothing  but  their 
heads  showing  out.  We  may  see  scores  of  them  so  bath- 
ing during  any  half-hour's  walk  along  the  waterways  of 
Manila. 


Carabaos,  or  water  buffaloes. 

The  carabaos  are  very  valuable  to  the  Philippines.  They 
are  strong,  and  can  plow  and  harrow  the  muddy  rice  fields, 
where  a  horse  or  mule  would  sink  through.  They  haul 
the  drays  in  the  towns,  and  do  all  kinds  of  draft  work 
and  farm  work.  Provided  they  get  their  baths,  they  are 
gentle.  The  children  are  fond  of  them,  and  boys  and  girls 
ride  them  as  they  feed  in  the  pasture,  and  that  without 
bridle  or  saddle.  Carabaos  give  milk  like  cows,  and  their 
meat  takes  ihe  place  (jf  beef  among  the  poorer  classes. 

Here  we  are  in  the  Escolta,  the  chief  business  street 


170 


TIIF.    rilllllM'INES 


of  Manila.  The  stores  are  smaller  than  at  home,  and 
each  has  one  or  two  famihes  living  above  it.  Most  of  the 
stores  hnve  awnings  out  over  the  sidewalks  ;  some  have 
fe,  '^?»w/¥fMPfSi     opanish   signs,  and   not  a  few 

are  still  owned  by  Spaniards. 

W  ***H,  .  "'  Turning  a  corner  we  enter  a 

quarter  where  nearly  all  the 
stores  are  Chinese.  They  look 
like  little  caves  cut  out  of  the 
walls,  and  are  so  full  of  cali- 
coes and  other  merchandise  that 
there  is  no  room  for  cases  or 
counters.  The  goods  are  piled 
up  on  the  shelves,  or  hung  from 
the  ceilings,  and  even  piled  out- 
side on  the  streets.  The  upper 
floors  of  the  buildings  extend 
over,  shading  the  sidewalk,  and 
in  the  windows  above  we  see 
yellow  -  skinned,  almond  -  eyed 
women  and  children  looking  out. 
The  Chinese  are  great  traders, 
and  many  have  come  here  to  do 
business.  There  are  many 
thousand  in  Manila,  and  more 
than  fifty  thousand  in  the 
Philippine  Islands.  They  sell  merchandise  in  all  parts  of 
the  archipelago.  Some  go  about  with  packs  of  goods  on 
their  shoulders,  peddling  their  wares  from  house  to  house; 
others  are  mechanics,  and  others  work  in  the  streets  and 
on  the  plantations. 


t:^ 


'  Some  go  about  with  packs  on  their 
shoulders.'' 


HOME    LIFE   AND    JHE    MARKETS  171 


24.     HOME    LIFE    AND    THE    MARKETS 

WE  have  many  friends  in  Manila,  and  through  them 
are  able  to  visit  all  classes  of  the  people.  Our  first 
call  is  on  the  family  of  a  Filipino  official,  who  hves  just 
out  of  the  city.  His  house  is  a  great  two-storied  building, 
with  a  beautiful  garden  about  it  shaded  with  palms  and 
other  tropical  trees.  A  wide  drive  leads  to  the  entrance,  and 
we  go  upstairs  to  reach  the  living  rooms  of  the  family. 
The  better  class  Filipinos  live  on  the  second  floor,  because 
it  is  more  healthful  well  up  from  the  ground.  The  servants 
have  their  quarters  below,  and  the  carriages  and  horses 
are  often  kept  there. 

Our  friend's  house  has  many  large  rooms  with  high 
ceilings  and  wide,  airy  halls.  There  is  a  balcony  around 
the  whole  house  at  the  second  floor,  into  which  the  rooms 
open,  and  this  balcony  is  walled  with  windows  of  lattice 
work,  composed  of  the  shells  of  pearl  oysters  so  thin  that 
they  let  in  the  light  while  they  keep  out  the  heat.  The 
pearl  windows  are  moved  back  in  the  evening,  and  the  air 
blows  through  the  house,  making  it  delightfully  cool. 

The  house  is  well  furnished.  It  has  its  piano  and  organ, 
for  the  Filipinos  are  fond  of  music.  There  are  large  tables, 
many  chairs  of  bent  wood,  and  sofas  of  woven  rattan.  We 
are  shown  the  sleeping  rooms.  The  beds  are  twice  as 
large  as  ours,  and  each  has  above  it  a  mosquito  netting 
which  is  let  down  at  night.  There  are  no  springs.  The 
bedsteads  are  covered  with  cane  like  a  chair  seat,  and  a 
tliin  comfort  or  mat  takes  the  place  of  the  thick  mattress 
we  \\jvc  ;ii   liouie.      In  a  warm  climate  like  this  tiie  chief 


172  TMK    rillliriMNES 

thing  is  to  kccj)  cool,  and  \vc  ha\c  already  learned  to  like 
beds  of  this  kind,  although  at  hrst  wc  rolled  over  and  over 
trying  to  find  a  soft  spot  on  the  mats.  The  pillows  are  of 
hair,  stuffed  hard,  and  each  bed  has  a  long,  hard  bolster  for 
one  to  throw  his  leg  over  while  sleeping.  We  take  dinner 
with  the  family  ;  everything  is  well  cooked,  and  the  meal 
is  not  unlike  our  dinners  at  home. 

Our  ne.xt  visit  is  to  a  small  merchant  in  a  crowded  part 
of  the  city.  His  house  is  on  the  level  of  the  street.  The 
entrance  is  through  a  garden  about  ten  feet  wide  and 
twenty  feet  long,  covered  with  a  thatched  roof  through 
which  banana  trees  have  grown.  These  have  extended 
their  broad  leaves  over  it,  and  keep  the  garden  quite  cool. 
There  are  seats  on  each  side  of  the  walk,  and  here  we  find 
several  of  the  family  sitting. 

Our  hosts  rise  and  shake  hands  with  us,  and  the  mother 
leads  us  into  the  house.  We  first  enter  a  narrow  hallway 
with  a  little  bedroom  on  each  side  and  a  dining  room  and 
kitchen  at  the  end.  The  latter  rooms  and  the  garden 
are  where  the  family  live  during  the  day.  Each  room  is 
about  twelve  feet  square,  neatly  kept,  but  well  blackened 
with  smoke.  Very  few  of  the  Filipino  houses  have  chim- 
neys, and  in  many  the  cooking  is  done  with  charcoal, 
which  makes  but  little  smoke.  In  other  places,  such  as 
this,  sticks  and  bits  of  wood  are  used,  and  the  smoke  gets 
out  as  it  can. 

The  dining  room  serves  also  as  the  i)arlor.  It  has  a 
floor  of  red  brick,  and  its  furniture  consists  of  two  chairs 
and  a  cane-seated  lounge,  the  latter  being  hung  to  the 
ceiling  to  be  kept  out  of  tiie  way  until  needed.  It  is  let 
down  during  our  visit,  and  the  wife  of  the  merchant  bids 


HOME   LIFE   AND   THE    MARKETS  1 73 

lis  siL  down.  Slic  is  a  conitorlablc-lookini;,  brnwii-skiiined 
little  lady  with  white  teeth  and  a  pleasant  smile.  She 
shows  us  the  sleeping  rooms  on  each  side  the  hall. 
Each  room  is  just  wide  enough  for  the  bed  of  split  bam- 
boo poles  fastened  to  a  framework  of  larger  bamboos, 
which  stands  within.  The  people  prefer  to  sleep  on  such 
poles  rather  than  on  hair,  feathers,  or  straw. 

We  go  with  our  hostess  to  the  kitchen.  The  cook- 
ing arrangement  is  merely  a  ledge  of  bricks  and  mortar 
running  along  one  side  of  the  room.  In  the  top  are  four 
holes,  each  about  as  big  as  a  tin  wash  basin,  with  a  hole 
cut  through  the  ledge  under  it  to  furnish  a  draft. 

In  each  hole  burn  about  a  dozen  sticks  laid  one  on  top 
of  another.  Upon  the  fire  rest  bowls  of  black  clay,  in 
which  the  family  dinner  is  cooking.  Our  FiUpino  friend 
lifts  up  the  lids  of  the  bowls  and  shows  us  their  contents, 
and  asks  us  to  stay  and  take  dinner.  The  first  bowl  con- 
tains rice,  the  second  has  a  fish  stew,  the  third  is  full  of 
boiled  beans,  while  in  the  fourth  is  a  hash  of  vegetables 
and  pork  cut  into  small  bits.  The  smell  is  delicious,  but 
our  time  is  so  short  that  we  can  not  accept  her  kind  invi- 
tation. So  we  say  good-by,  and  walk  on  to  the  markets 
which  are  not  far  away. 

Much  of  the  business  of  the  Philippine  Islands  is  done 
in  the  markets.  Every  city  and  village  has  its  market 
]ilace,  often  in  the  park  or  square  in  the  center,  where  the 
people  meet  daily  to  buy  and  sell.  Here  are  many  huts 
or  booths  of  bamboo  framework  thatched  with  palm 
leaves,  in  which  men  and  women  merchants  squat,  with 
their  goods  piled  about  them  or  hung  up  on  poles  over- 
head.    The   floors  serve  for  both  chair  and  counter,  for 


174 


TIIK    I'llII.II'riNES 


tlicic   [he   rii.sloiiicis   sil,   ;incl    ihcic   the   iiicicluiMls   spread 
^out  their  wares. 

Not  only  fowls  and  eggs,  fish  and  meats,  vegetables 
and  fruit,  and  all  kinds  of  food,  but  clay  stoves,  wooden 
ware,  household  utensils,  as  well  as  clothes,  shoes,  and  dry 
goods,  are  sold  in  the  markets.  At  some  towns  there  are 
fairs  at  given   times  of  the  month  or  year,  when  people 


Every  cif.  ■■    :    .      .',  .   m  •  ;>:  ■  :    : 

from  miles  around  come  together  to  buy  and  sell.  The 
markets  of  Manila  are  large,  and  their  buildings  are  better 
than  those  of  the  country  towns,  but  the  scenes  in  them 
are  much  the  same. 

We  make  our  way  through  the  drays  and  carts  sur- 
rounding the  market,  and  enter  the  dense  crowd  of  women 
and  men  within.  How  noisy  it  is !  Some  are  buying  and 
selling,  some  laughing  and  chatting,  and  some  hurrying 
to  and  fro  with  great  burdens  on  their  backs  or  heads. 


HOME   LIFE   AND   THE   MARKETS  1 75 

All  trading  is  by  bargaining,  and  the  people  are  yell- 
ing and  screeching  out  their  offers  to  buy  and  refusals 
to  sell.  Each  protests  that  the  other  will  ruin  him  until 
the  purchase  is  made,  when  usually  he  smiles,  and  the 
two  laugh  and  chat  together  as  though  they  had  not  been 
almost  quarreling  before. 

How  many  women  there  are !  They  do  most  of  the 
selling,  and  most  of  the  buying  as  well.  The  porters  are 
women.  Those  girls  with  hats  as  big  as  umbrellas  have 
come  in  from  the  country  with   something  to  sell. 

The  Manila  market  is  divided  up  into  streets,  each  hav- 
ing its  own  kind  of  business.  Here  is  a  section  selling 
nothing  but  clothes.  It  is  like  a  bazaar  with  many  cells, 
each  owned  by  a  brown-skinned  woman  merchant.  The 
dealers  are  bareheaded,  and  we  can  see  their  little  bare 
feet  sticking  out  of  their  skirts  as  they  sit  on  the  floor, and 
show  us  their  goods.  Each  woman  has  a  money  box 
beside  her,  and  all  are  keen  at  a  bargain. 

Passing  on  we  go  into  another  street  where  they  are 
selling  nothing  but  shoes.  And  such  shoes!  The  most 
of  them  have  wooden  soles  with  only  a  strip  of  leather 
over  the  toes  or  the  instep.  Some  are  rain  shoes  with 
toes  and  heels  extending  several  inches  below  the  soles, 
so  that  the  wearer  is  kept  well  above  the  water  and 
mud.  None  of  the  shoes  confine  the  heel,  and  as  the 
people  seldom  wear  stockings,  their  bare  feet  may  be  seen 
bobbing  up  and  down  as  they  walk. 

Farther  on  we  find  stoves  and  cooking  utensils.  The 
shopkeepers  are  selling  pots,  pans,  and  kettles  made  of  red 
clay.  The  stove  most  common  is  a  clav  bowl  with  little 
knobs   inside   it   to  hold  the  pots  above  the  charcoal  fire 


176  THE   PHILIPPINES 

built  in  the  bottom.  A  separate  stove  is  used  for  each 
dish,  and  in  rich  men's  houses  a  dozen  fires  may  be  going 
at  once. 

We  spend  some  time  among  the  rice  sellers  who  are 
measuring  out  rice  from  the  enormous  baskets  in  which  it 
is  kept.  Rice  is  the  bread  of  the  Philippines,  and  every 
family  buys  some  every  day. 

Not  far  away  is  the  fish  market,  where  are  all  kinds  of 
fish,  fresh  and  dried,  from  minnows,  not  so  big  as  a  baby's 
little  finger,  to  fish  so  large  that  they  are  cut  in  slices  for 
steaks.  Many  fish  are  sold  alive,  being  kept  in  baskets  of 
bamboo  so  tightly  woven  that  they  will  hold  water.  Every 
customer  feels  the  fish  before  buying,  to  make  sure  that 
it  is  fresh,  and  then  the  peddler  kills  it  by  pounding  it  on 
the  back  with  a  stick. 

It  is  interesting  to  see  the  chickens  and  pigeons  in 
baskets  and  cages  of  loosely  woven  bamboo.  Hogs  are 
kept  until  wanted,  and  there  are  pens  of  the  dearest  little 
guinea  pigs,  which  are  sold  to  be  eaten  as  we  eat  rabbits 
or  squirrels. 

Among  the  most  delicious  things  sold  are  the  fruits. 
There  are  bananas,  large  and  small,  with  skins  red,  yellow, 
and  white ;  there  are  lemons,  oranges,  pineapples,  and 
great  balls  of  breadfruit.  We  each  try  a  slice  of  the 
papaw,  a  fruit  as  big  as  a  musk  melon,  and  not  unlike  it, 
although  it  grows  on  a  tree.  It  tastes  sweet,  but  is  rather 
insipid,  so  we  buy  something  else.  We  are  delighted  with 
the  mango,  a  rich  yellow  fruit  as  large  round  as  your  fist, 
and  often  si.x  inches  in  length.  This  is  the  queen  of  the 
fruits  of  the  I'hi1ii)])incs.  It  has  a  long,  narrow  seed  sur- 
rounded by  flesh  which  is  deliciously  sweet,  with  a  slight 


HOME    LIFE   AND   THE    MARKETS  1 77 

turpentine  flavor.  It  <;ro\vs  on  a  tree,  found  almost  every- 
where in  Luzon,  and  also  in  other  parts  of  the  Philip- 
pines. A  few  cents  pays  for  all  the  fruit  we  can  eat, 
and  we  walk  on,  peeling  bananas  and  munching  them  as 
we  go. 

Among  the  vegetables  are  lettuce,  cabbage,  sweet  pota- 
toes, onions,  the  green  shoots  of  the  bamboo,  as  well  as 
many  things  strange  to  our  eyes.  One  of  the  woman  ped- 
dlers picks  up  a  handful  of  the  white  roots  she  is  selling, 
and  asks  us  to  buy.  We  each  take  a  root  and  bite  into 
it,  but  spit  it  out  quickly.  It  is  as  hot  as  fire,  our  tongues 
and  lips  smart  as  though  they  were  poisoned,  and  we  take 
quick  bites  of  banana  to  cool  them.  This  root  is  ginger. 
It  grows  wild  in  the  woods,  and  is  used  by  the  natives  to 
make  a  weak  tea  and  a  fish  sauce. 

What  are  the  queer  nuts  in  that  tray  on  the  other 
side  of  the  ginger .''  They  look  like  green  butternuts. 
There  is  a  little  pile  of  lime  near  them,  with  palm  leaves 
and  tobacco  beside  it.  See  that  old  woman  who  has  come 
up.  She  picks  up  a  nut  and  bites  into  it.  As  she  opens 
her  mouth,  we  notice  her  gums  are  apparently  bleeding. 
Her  tongue  is  red,  and  her  teeth  seem  to  drip  blood.  She 
has  a  quid  inside  her  left  cheek  which  she  chews  now 
and  then  during  her  talk  with  the  root  seller.  She  is 
chewing  the  betel,  a  nut  like  those  on  the  tray.  The 
betel  nut  is  the  fruit  of  the  areca  palm.  It  is  cut  up 
and  mixed  with  lime  and  tobacco,  and  thus  chewed, 
making  the  saliva  the  color  of  blood.  The  habit  is  com- 
mon not  only  throughout  the  PhiUppine  Islands,  but  also 
in  Siam,  Burma,  and  other  parts  of  the  world.  It  has 
much  the  same  effect  as  tobacco  upon  those  who  use  it. 


178  'IllK  I'llll.ll'I'INKS 

25.  A  TRIP  THROUGH  TH?:  COUNTRY  — 
RICi:,  SL'GAR,  AND  TOBACCO 

WI'^  leave  Manila  this  m()rniii<;  to  sec  sonicthino;  of  the 
Filipinos  on  their  farms,  and  in  their  towns  and 
villages.  Our  journey  will  last  several  weeks,  for  Luzon 
is  the  largest  island  of  the  Philippines,  and  includes  more 
than  a  third  of  all  the  land  in  the  group.  It  has  about 
half  of  their  entire  population,  and  is  the  best  developed 
and  the  wealthiest  of  all.  It  has  many  resources,  and  we 
shall  see  some  of  the  chief  industries  of  the  archipelago 
during  the  journey. 

Our  first  trip  is  through  the  rich  valley  which  runs  from 
Manila  northward  to  the  Gulf  of  Lingayen  (len-ga-yan'). 
This  valley  is  more  than  one  hundred  miles  long,  and  in 
places  fifty  miles  wide.  The  oldest  railroad  of  the  Philip- 
pines runs  through  it,  and  we  go  on  the  cars.  How 
delightful  it  is !  We  have  shot  out  of  the  city  and  are 
speeding  along  over  a  plain  bordered  on  each  side  by 
magnificent  mountains  as  blue  as  the  Alleghanies  in  mid- 
summer. The  car  windows  are  open,  and  the  fresh  air 
blows  through.  On  each  side  of  the  track  are  vast  fields 
of  rice,  dotted  here  and  there  with  groves  of  bananas, 
patches  of  Indian  corn,  or  the  pale  green  of  little  sugar 
plantations.  Now  we  pass  a  clump  of  tall,  feathery  bam- 
boos, and  now  a  road  or  stream  lined  with  these  beautiful 
trees. 

We  can  see  but  few  houses  from  the  car  windows,  al- 
though some  of  the  towns  are  made  up  of  a  single  street 
several  miles  long.     The  houses  are  hid  by  the  bamboos 


A   TRIP   TIIROUtUI    THE    COUNTRY 


179 


;r»5^i^i?^f^?i^J«s*^.", 


,/.// 


■f.sai 


hJ- 


'^^      '  4« 


" — vast  fields  of  rice." 

and  other  trees  which  shade  them.  There  are  no  buildings 
in  the  fields.  Most  of  the  people  live  in  villages  scattered 
along  the  roads,  as  in  many  countries  of  Europe.  Some  of 
them  walk  several  miles  to  their  work  every  day. 

There  is  but  little  stock.  We  see  neither  cows  nor 
sheep.  The  ponies  of  Luzon  are  raised  in  other  sections, 
and  the  only  animals  visible  are  the  carabaos,  and  now  and 
then  an  ugly  black  pig.  The  carabaos  are  everywhere. 
They  drag  farm  carts  with  solid  wooden  wheels  a  yard  in 
diameter,  and  haul  sleds  where  the  ground  is  so  soft  that 
carts  can  not  be  used.  We  see  them  in  the  mud  of  the 
rice  fields,  going  along,  with  their  heads  down,  drawing 
rude  one-handled  plows.  In  many  places  they  are  ridden 
by  men  or  children  ;  and  still  stranger  they  are  often  ridden 
by  birds.      Every  other  buffalo  we  see  in   the  fields   has   a 

OUk    COLONIES  ^  1  I 


i8o 


TIIK    I'llll  iri'iNES 


liiid  oil  his  back.  There  is  one  now  (|iiietly  feeding  uitli 
a  great  white  crane  roosting  on  him.  Farther  on  is  an- 
other, upon  which  stands  a  crow.  Each  bird  is  picking  at 
its  buffalo,  but  the  buffalo  understands  it.  He  knows  that 
the  birds  are  good  flycatchers,  and  that  they  live  on  the 
insects  that  feed  upon  him. 


"We  see  them  in  the  mud  of  the  rice  fields." 

Look  again  at  the  fields.  Those  devoted  to  rice  are 
surrounded  by  low,  mud  walls  upon  which  green  grass  and 
wild  flowers  are  growing.  The  walls  are  to  keep  in  the 
water  with  which  the  rice  is  flooded,  and  they  also  form 
paths  through  the  fields.  You  can  see  people  walking 
upon  them,  and  carabaos  ridden  by  children  going  to  or 
coming  from  pasture. 

In  some  places  the  rice  is  still  green,  but  more  often  it 
is  of  a  rich  golden  color  with  well-headed  stalks.     That 


A   TRIP   THROUGH   THE   COUNTRY  l8l 

rice  is  ready  for  harvest.  The  seeds  from  which  it  came 
were  planted  in  beds  months  ago,  and  the  little  sprouts 
were  set  out  one  at  a  time  in  the  mud,  so  that  the  field, 
when  finished,  looked  like  one  of  our  wheat  fields  in  the 
spring.  Then  the  rainy  season  came  on  and  gave  the 
land  a  good  soaking.  It  covered  the  sprouts  with  water, 
and  they  grew.  The  fields  now  look  much  like  our  oats 
or  wheat  when  ready  for  harvest ;  they  are  fit  for  cutting ; 
after  that  the  rice  must  be  thrashed  and  hulled.  Rice  is 
the  chief  food  crop  of  the  Philippines,  and  we  shall  see  the 
people  working  in  it  almost  everywhere  during  our  travels. 

There  is  a  field  where  they  are  harvesting  now.  See 
those  big-hatted  women  whose  red  skirts  show  out  above 
the  yellow  grain  !  Each  has  a  little  knife  in  her  hand ; 
she  is  cutting  the  rice  stalk  by  stalk,  and  binding  it  up 
in  fat  sheaves  not  bigger  than  a  good-sized  bouquet. 
Farther  on  is  a  field  in  which  the  sheaves  are  shocked  up, 
and  next  to  it  one  where  men  are  thrashing.  A  blind- 
folded carabao  is  walking  over  the  straw  to  tread  the  rice 
out.  Sometimes  men  and  women  jump  up  and  down  upon 
the  rice  to  thrash  it,  and  sometimes  the  grains  are  pulled 
from  the  stalk  through  sawlike  machines.  After  this  the 
hulls  must  be  pounded  off  with  hard  wooden  pestles  in  a 
mortar  made  of  a  block  of  tough  wood.  Nearly  every 
farmer  has  such  a  mortar,  and  one  of  the  daily  chores  of 
the  boys  and  girls  of  the  family  is  to  pound  the  rice  out. 
After  being  hulled,  the  grain  is  winnowed  by  throwing  it 
up  in  the  air  .so  that  the  chaff  blows  away. 

Farther  up  the  valley  we  come  into  a  region  where  the 
soil  is  l)etter  fitted  for  sugar.  The  country  seems  flooded 
with  a  sea  of  pale  green  which  rises  and  falls  in  waves 


i82  Tin;  I'liii.ii'rixKs 

under  the  wind.  We  are  now  in  the  sugar  lands,  and  for 
miles  sec  nothing  but  cane.  Here  and  there  men  are 
l^lowing  with  water  buffaloes.  How  rich  the  soil  is !  The 
newly  turned  ground  forms  islands  of  black  in  the  ocean 
of  green.  We  see  barefooted  girls  planting  the  crop, 
laying  the  bits  of  cane  end  to  end  in  the  furrows  just 
as  they  did  in  Hawaii.  How  rude  everything  is!  In  the 
Hawaiian  Islands  there  were  steam  plows,  and  all  sorts  of 
labor-saving  machinery.  Here  the  work  is  all  done  by 
hand.  The  girls  are  even  using  their  bare  feet  to  cover 
the  cane,  and  fresh  planting  supplies  are  brought  to  the 
droppers  on  carabao  sleds. 

In  other  fields  they  are  cutting  the  ripe  cane,  and  cart- 
ing or  sledding  it  to  rude  mills  where  the  juice  is  squeezed 
out  and  reduced  to  coarse  sugar.  This  is  one  of  the  chief 
products  of  the  Philippines,  and  we  shall  see  many  thriv- 
ing sugar  plantations  in  the  Visayan  Islands  farther  south. 

We  cross  several  rivers  during  our  journey.  The 
Philippines  are  well  watered.  There  are  brooks  and 
creeks  every  few  miles.  The  banks  are  lined  with  trees, 
and  we  frequently  see  boys  fishing  in  the  shade.  The 
larger  streams  have  boats  and  cascoes  floating  upon  them, 
and  we  often  pass  a  raft  of  timber  or  bamboo  poles  float- 
ing down  to  the  market. 

Leaving  the  train  we  spend  a  night  in  one  of  the  towns. 
They  are  much  the  same  everywhere.  Each  has  a  plaza 
or  open  space  in  the  center  ujjon  which  face  the  church, 
the  town  oflfices,  a  store  or  so,  and  some  of  the  best  houses. 
The  streets  run  out  from  the  plaza  ;  they  are  often  mere 
roads  lined  with  houses  oi'  Inits. 

Many  of  the  houses  in  the  villages  are  thatched  with 


A   TRIP  TlIROUCll    THE   COUNTRY 


i8- 


palm  leaves;  ihcir  huts  ha\c  walls  ol  woven  bamboo 
splints  tied  to  a  framework  of  bamboo  poles.  The  roofs 
are  of  nipa  palm  leaves  sewed  together,  and  tied  to  the 
roof  poles  with  strings  of  rattan.  The  leaves  overlap 
one  another  like  shingles,  forming  a  water-tight  covering. 
The  roofs  are  often  built  on  the  ground,  and  carried 
\ through  the  streets  to  be  placed  on  the  walls. 


"The  houses  are  built  upon  posts." 

The  houses  are  built  upon  posts  so  that  the  floors  are  six 
or  eight  feet  above  the  ground,  and  so  high  up  that  the 
carabaos,  chickens,  and  hogs  can  be  kept  under  them. 
The  people  must  go  up  steps  and  ladders  to  get  into  their 
houses. 

Some  of  the  better  class  country  houses  have  two 
stories,  like  the  houses  we  saw  in  Manila.  They  have  a 
framework  of  timber,  board  walls,  and  large  sliding  win- 


l84  'III'"    I'lIII.Il'PhN'KS 

ildws  ot  lallicc  work  oi"  j;l;iss.  They  aic  sokK)ni  plas- 
tered or  papered.  The  living  rooms  are  on  the  second 
floor,  as  the  people  do  not  like  to  sleep  near  the  ground. 

We  leave  the  cars  at  Dagupaii  (da-goo'pan),  near  the  Gulf 
of  Lingayen,  and  there  take  a  coasting  steamer  for  Aparri, 
a  thriving  port  of  northeastern  Luzon  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Cagayan  (ka-ga-yan')  River.  This  river  is  one  of  the  larg- 
est in  the  archipelago,  and  it  forms  the  outlet  of  a  great 
valley  containing  some  of  the  best  tobacco  lands  of  the 
world.  It  has  annual  floods  which  carry  down  the  rich 
earth  from  the  mountains  and  spread  it  over  the  fields, 
fertilizing  them  as  Egypt  is  fertilized  by  the  Nile. 

Our  ship  has  come  from  Manila  to  Aparri  for  a  cargo 
of  tobacco.  We  see  vessels  loading  tobacco  as  we  drop 
anchor,  and  learn  that  hundreds  of  thousands  of  bales  are 
annually  shipped  from  Aparri.  The  captain  introduces  us 
to  some  of  the  planters,  and  we  go  with  them  on  a  little 
river  steamer  up  the  Cagayan  Valley. 

This  valley  is,  if  anything,  more  beautiful  than  the 
region  we  have  just  left.  The  mountains  are  covered  with 
trees,  and  on  their  lower  slopes  are  thousands  of  patches 
of  the  rich  dark  green  leaves  of  the  tobacco  plant.  Here 
and  there  we  see  a  great  shed,  thatched  with  palm  leaves, 
used  for  curing  the  tobacco,  and  now  and  then  pass  a  vil- 
lage in  which  the  planters  and  workmen  live. 

Tobacco  plants  are  grown  in  seed  beds  or  nurseries.  The 
seed  is  sown,  and  the  plants,  when  they  have  well  sprouted, 
are  set  out  so  close  together  that  there  are  sometimes  ten 
thousand  plants  on  one  acre.  This  is  done  in  October  or 
November,  and  by  March  or  April  the  leaves  are  ready 
for  harvest.     In  the  meantime  the  crop  is  carefully  culti- 


A  TRIP  THROUGH   THE   COUNTRY  1 85 

vated.  It  is  weeded  usually  by  women  and  girls  who  also 
go  carefully  over  each  plant  every  morning  to  pick  off  the 
worms.  The  leaves  are  cut  off  and  then  cured  and  sorted. 
They  are  packed  in  bundles  of  one  hundred,  and  these 
bundles  into  bales  so  tightly  pressed  that  each  contains 
four  thousand  leaves.  The  bales  are  sent  down  to  Aparri 
and  thence  shipped  to  the  factories  of  Manila. 

The  PhiHppine  Islands  are  famous  for  their  tobacco. 
The  tobacco  plant  grows  well  in  almost  every  part  of  the 
archipelago,  and  vast  quantities  of  it  are  raised  and  ex- 
ported. Much  of  it  is  sent  away  in  the  cigars  and  ciga- 
rettes made  at  Manila.  Some  of  the  factories  of  that 
city  employ  thousands  of  hands,  many  of  whom  are  women 
and  girls  noted  for  their  skill  in  rolling  cigars.  In  such 
factories  one  may  see  hundreds  of  girls  sitting  on  the 
floor  or  on  stools  half  a  foot  high,  with  low  tables  before 
them  containing  piles  of  the  dark  brown  leaves.  They 
work  rapidly  and  some  make  hundreds  of  cigars  in  a  day. 
Men  and  boys  are  also  employed. 

A  large  amount  of  the  tobacco  is  consumed  in  the 
Philippines,  for  not  only  men  but  also  women,  and  some- 
times even  boys  and  girls,  smoke  cigars  and  cigarettes.  In 
the  house  and  out  they  may  be  seen  puffing  away,  and  we 
are  often  politely  invited  to  join  in  a  smoke. 

At  Aparri  we  are  near  the  northern  end  of  the  Philip- 
pine archipelago.  There  are  some  little  islands  belonging 
to  the  United  States  north  of  Luzon,  but  our  time  is  so 
limited  that  we  shall  not  be  able  to  visit  them  or  to  ex- 
plore Formosa,  which  is  still  farther  north.  There  are 
])e<)plc  at  Aparri,  however,  wlio  know  the  latter  island 
(juite  well,  and  from  them   we  learn   much  about  it. 


lS6  Tin:    I'lIII.II'I'INES 

Formosa  bcloni;s  to  Japan,  having;  hccn  ceded  to  that 
country  by  C'hiua  at  tlic  close  ot  the  Chincse-JaiJiinese 
War  in  1895.  It  is  a  volcanic  island  and  is  in  most  re- 
spects like  the  Philippines.  It  is  about  one  third  the  size 
of  Luzon  and  has  more  than  three  million  j)C()ple.  It  is  so 
close  to  China  that  many  of  its  inhabitants  are  Chinese, 
although  there  are  savages  in  the  mountains  quite  as  wild 
as  any  of  our  Philippine  tribes. 

Formosa  is  a  very  rich  island.  It  has  tea  gardens  and 
sugar  plantations  which  are  chiefly  owned  by  Chinese  and 
foreigners.  Its  mountains  contain  coal,  iron,  and  gold, 
and  they  are  covered  with  forests  of  valuable  hard  woods. 
The  island  has  curious  trees,  including  some  yielding  soaj), 
tallow,  and  camphor.  The  soap-tree  fruit  has  seeds  which 
can  be  used  in  the  place  of  soap  for  washing ;  the  tallow 
trees,  which  are  somewhat  like  our  poplars,  bear  a  white 
berry  about  as  big  as  a  pea,  from  which  tallow  is  made; 
and  the  camphor  tree  produces  the  camphor  of  commerce. 
Camphor  trees  grow  to  a  great  size  in  Formosa,  a  single 
tree  sometimes  being  twenty-five  feet  in  circumference. 
The  camphor  comes  from  the  sap  obtained  by  cutting  the 
tree  into  chips  and  boiling  them.  The  mixture  of  water 
and  chips  is  distilled  and  the  result  is  pure  camphor,  which 
is  run  off  into  molds  and  cooled.  It  is  exported  to  all 
parts  of  the  world. 

Beginning  at  Formosa  the  empire  of  Japan  extends  in 
a  long  chain  of  islands,  large  and  small,  almost  to  Kam- 
chatka in  Siberia,  a  distance  of  thousands  of  miles.  The 
archipelago  includes  the  Riu  Kiu  Islands,  the  four  great 
islands  which  comprise  the  chief  part  of  the  empire,  and 
the  unimportant  Kuriles  (kdo'rils)  still  farther  north.     We 


THROUGH   THE    MOUNTAINS   OF    LUZON  1 8/ 

have  fully  described  Japan  during  our  travels  in  Asia, 
and  we  shall  not  further  explore  it,  and  for  the  same  reason 
we  shall  not  go  to  Hongkong  off  the  east  coast  of  China. 

We  have  hardly  begun  our  explorations  of  the  Philippine 
Islands,  and,  like  good  Americans,  we  want  to  give  as 
much  time  as  we  can  to  our  own  possessions  in  this  far- 
away part  of  the  world. 


26.     THROUGH   THE   MOUNTAINS   OF   LUZON 

LEAVING  Aparri,  we  mount  horses  and  make  our  way 
back  over  the  mountains  to  Manila,  now  going  for 
miles  through  tall  pines,  and  now  cutting  our  way  through 
forests  of  hard  woods  so  bound  together  by  vines  that  we 
can  go  but  few  miles  a  day.  The  hills  are  so  steep  in  places 
that  our  horses  almost  fall  backward,  and  when  they  de- 
scend, they  keep  their  forefeet  together  and  slide.  The 
foothills  and  valleys  are  often  covered  with  a  wiry  grass 
so  high  that  we  drop  the  reins  and  hold  up  our  hands  to 
prevent  the  grass  cutting  our  faces  as  we  ride  through. 

A  part  of  the  trail  is  through  the  beds  of  mountain 
streams  walled  and  roofed  with  bamboos  and  vines,  mak- 
ing a  green  arbor  miles  in  length,  but  so  low  in  places 
that  we  have  to  hug  the  necks  of  the  ponies  to  keep  our 
heads  on  our  shoulders,  and  so  thick  at  both  sides  and 
on  top  that  the  hot  sun  can  not  get  through.  There  are 
immense  trees  on  both  sides  of  us,  and  looking  up  we  can 
often  follow  their  trunks  with  our  eyes  for  one  hundred 
feet  ov  more  to  where  the  first  limbs  begin. 

Now  we  go  through  a  grove  of  fern  trees  with  branches 


i88  THE  riiii.irriNES 

fifteen  feet  long^  and  leaves  of  feathery  lace ;  and  now 
into  hills  covered  with  cedars  and  pines.  There  are 
orchids  everywhere  and  strange  flowering  plants.  We  try 
to  make  notes  of  the  trees,  but  soon  give  up  in  despair. 
More  than  half  of  our  Philippine  territory  is  covered  with 
timber,  and  the  forests  form  much  of  its  wealth.  Six  hun- 
dred and  sixty-four  varieties  of  native  trees  are  already 
known ;  and  among  these  are  fifty  species  from  which  rub- 
ber, gutta  percha,  and  other  gums  are  extracted.  There 
are  also  banyan  trees  with  great  roots  extending  down 
from  their  branches.  There  are  forests  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful hard  woods,  including  ebony  and  the  Filipino  mahog- 
any. Along  the  coasts  are  cocoanut  and  other  i)ahn 
trees  and  bamboos  everywhere  on  the  plains,  along  the 
streams  and  in  the  mountains  as  well. 

The  bamboo  grows  in  clumps  of  from  a  half  dozen  to 
two  score  or  more  stalks,  which  shoot  up  at  a  slight  angle 
to  a  height  of  forty  or  fifty  feet.  The  stalks  are  green 
with  knots  like  a  fishing  pole,  and  little  branches  with 
leaves  not  unlike  grass  leaves  at  each  knot.  The  stalks 
are  of  all  sizes,  some  as  small  as  a  bab)''s  finger  and  others 
as  big  as  the  leg  of  a  man. 

The  Filipino  uses  the  bamboo  for  almost  everything. 
The  cane  forms  his  milk  can  and  water  bucket.  He 
splits  it  to  ])ieces  and  weaves  it  into  baskets  and  hats. 
He  fastens  it  to  a  block  of  wood  and  makes  a  candle- 
stick, or  with  a  shorter  section  an  inkwell  or  a  spittoon. 
The  farmer  uses  rakes  and  harrows  of  bamboo,  which  he 
hauls  to  the  field  on  a  bamboo  sled  hitched  to  a  carabao 
by  a  bamboo  yoke,  which  he  dri\'es  ])crhaps  with  bamboo 
reins.     The    lisherman    has  nets    of    bamboo    and    lisliiny 


THROUGH   THE   MOUNTAINS  OF   LUZON 


189 


traps  of   the  same.     Water   is  carried  over  the    fields  in 

bamboo    pipes,  and    many  bridges    are   made  of    bamboo 

poles.     Some  of   the   houses  have  a   bamboo   framework 

with    walls    of    woven    bamboo 

splints  looking  like  basket  work 

and     floors    of    bamboo    poles. 

The  native  climbs  into  such   a 

house  up  a  ladder  of  bamboo, 

sits  on  the  bamboo  floor  upon 

a  bamboo  stool,  before  a  table 

which  may  have  bamboo  legs, 

and  eats  the  shoots  of  the  young 

bamboo,  which  are  as  delicious 

as  any  of  our  green  vegetables 

at  home. 

As  we  travel  onward,  now 
crossing  a  range  of  mountains 
and  now  a  cultivated  valley,  we 
come  upon  many  different  peo- 
ple and  tribes.  We  are  in  a 
new  country  at  every  few  miles ; 
the  people  have  a  different  lan- 
guage, so  that  the  natives  of 
one     province    often     can     not  Filipino  milkman. 

make  themselves  understood  in  other  provinces  near  by. 

We  shall  have  to  get  new  interpreters  every  few  days 
if  we  would  study  the  people,  although  we  can  make  our 
way  through  the  settled  portions  of  the  country  with  Span- 
ish, for  this  language  has  long  been  taught  in  the  schools. 
Nevertheless,  only  one  Filipino  in  ten  speaks  Spanish,  and 
outside  the  civilized  reirions  but  few  natives  understand  it. 


IQO 


iiii';  riiii.irriN'Es 


III  oui  shml  loiir  w  c  ran  not  src  iiiiu  h  nl  tin-  wild  int-n 
(it  the  Philippines.  Ihe  most  ot  the  islands  are  still  only- 
partial  ly  e.\]")lored,  and  some  are  almost  unknown.  The 
Philippines  have  eighty  different  tribes  which  are  more  or 
less  savage.  Some  are  very  degraded  and  others  semi- 
civilized,  although  they  are  pagans. 

In  our  trip  over   the  mountains  we   see    the  Igorrotes 
(eg-gor-ro'tas),  who  have    their   own    towns   and  villages. 
They     are     a     fine -looking 
W  race,   tall,   strong,  and  well 

formed,  with  brown  skins, 
high  cheek  bones,  and  aqui- 
line noses.  They  are  war- 
riors, and  we  are  a  little 
careful  how  we  address 
those  who  have  spears  in 
their  hands.  The  Igorrotes 
on  ordinary  occasions  wear 
but  little  clothing,  except  a 
breech  cloth  and  perhaps 
some  tattooing.  We  see 
many  thus  clad  at  work  in 
the  fields.  They  have  little 
farms  on  the  foothills  of 
northwestern  Luzon,  which  they  plow  with  carabaos  and 
sometimes  irrigate  with  rude  aqueducts.  They  raise  cof- 
fee, rice,  and  tobacco,  as  well  as  sweet  potatoes  and  corn. 
They  mine  iron  and  copper  and  are  skilled  blacksmiths, 
making  excellent  lances  and  swords. 

We  catch  glimpses  of  other  wild  tribes  in  the  different 
mountain  regions,  but  the  languages  are  strange  and  the 


Native  of  Luzon. 


THROUGH  TIH-:  MOUNTAINS  OF  LUZON       19I 

natives  sometimes  unfriendly.  We  have  heard  that  there 
are  still  head  hunters  and  cannibals  among  them,  and 
although  we  can  hardly  believe  this,  we  decide  to  let  them 
alone  as  long  as  they  do  not  molest  us. 

Most  of  the  natives  we  meet  seem  more  afraid  of  us 
than  we  are  of  them.  This  is  especially  so  of  the  Negritos 
(na-gre't5s),  who  are  said  to  be  the  aborigines  of  the 
islands.  They  flee  at  our  approach,  and  we  sometimes 
catch  glimpses  of  them  as  they  hide  behind  rocks,  peep- 
ing out  at  us  as  we  pass. 

What  curious  people  they  are  !  The  word  "  Negrito  " 
means  little  negro,  and  this  word  describes  them.  They 
are  a  race  of  black  pygmies  with  woolly  hair,  thick  lips, 
and  flat  noses.  Most  of  them  are  naked  save  that  the 
men  wear  a  cloth  about  the  loins,  and  the  women  a  strip 
of  cotton  or  bark  forming  a  sort  of  skirt  that  reaches  from 
the  waist  to  the  knees.  Som.e  women  have  also  strings 
of  beads  about  their  necks. 

How  ugly  they  look  !  Their  legs  are  spindling,  their 
stomachs  swell  out,  and  their  foreheads  sink  in.  They 
are  mentally  and  physically  weak  and  are  as  degraded  as 
any  savages  we  have  yet  seen.  They  offer  sacrifices  to 
spirits  which  they  believe  to  e.xist  in  the  woods  and  moun- 
tains. 

The  Negritos  have  no  fixed  habitations,  but  wander 
from  place  to  place,  sleeping  in  caves  and  in  little  shelters 
of  bamboo  poles  bound  with  grass.  Some  grow  patches 
of  rice  or  Indian  corn,  but  most  of  them  live  upon  roots, 
wild  fruits,  and  such  game  as  they  can  find  in  the  woods. 
They  hunt  deer  and  wild  hogs  with  bows  and  arrows,  and 
sometimes  trap  them  with   loops  of    rattan,  spearing  the 


192 


Tin;  riiii.iri'iNKS 


animals  when  they  are  so  tangled  up  in  the  loops  that  they 
can  not  escape. 

In  the  past  many  of  the  Negritos  were  enslaved  by  the 
other  Filipino  tribes,  and  we  may  meet  some  of  these  little 
negroes  acting  as  servants  as  we  go  on  with  our  travels ; 
for  these  people  are  to  be  found  throughout  the  archipelago. 

Later,  we  make  a  trip  up  the  Pasig  River  and  in  and 
along  the  coast  of  Laguna  de  Bay.     We  should    like  to 


Mayon  volcano. 

visit  the  Mayon  volcano  at  the  southeastern  end  of  the 
island,  and  the  Taal  at  the  southwest.  The  Taal  volcano 
rises  in  a  lake  partially  surrounded  by  mountains  ;  it  is 
a  thousand  feet  high,  and  its  steaming  crater  is  more 
than  a  mile  wide.  The  Mayon  volcano  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  mountains  of  the  Philippines,  and  it  equals 
almost  any  other  mountain  of  the  world  in  beauty.  It  is 
almost  a  half  mile  higher  than  Mount  Washington,  and 
is  a  perfect  cone  from  the  top  of  which  rise  plumes  of 
feathery  vapor  which  can  be  seen  for  miles  out  at  sea. 


THE   VISAYAN   ISLANDS  I93 

27.     THE   VISAYAN    ISLANDS  — THE   HEMP 
INDUSTRY 

WE  have  left  Manila  on  one  of  the  coasting  steamers, 
and  are  now  making  our  way  from  port  to  port 
through  the  Visayan  Islands,  which  form  the  middle  zone 
of  our  Philippine  archipelago.  They  are  of  much  the 
same  nature  as  Luzon,  composed  of  mountains  and  valleys 
with   rich  plains  here   and   there  along  the  coast. 

The  land  is  everywhere  green.  The  plains  are  covered 
with  plantations  of  rice,  sugar,  and  hemp,  and  the  moun- 
tains are  so  wooded  that  they  look  blue  in  the  distance, 
rolling  on  and  on  in  smoky  masses  until  lost  in  the  low- 
hanging  clouds.  The  coasts  are  bordered  with  cocoanut 
trees  which  here  grow  at  their  best,  and  under  them  are 
silver-gray  villages  of  thatched  huts,  with  fishing  traps  on 
the  beach,  and  fishing  inclosures  fenced  with  bamboos 
extending  far  out  from  the  shore.  We  pass  quaint  boats 
with  outriggers  manned  by  brown-skinned  men  and  boys 
engaged  in  catching  and  trapping  the  fish  for  which  the 
waters  are  noted.  Some  are  gathering  beche  de  mer,  and 
others  the  pearl  shells  off  the  coral  islands  of  the  group. 

As  we  go  onward,  stopping  at  a  new  island  every  few 
days,  we  are  surprised  at  the  size  of  the  Visayan  Islands, 
and  also  at  their  resources  and  large  population.  These 
islands  have  about  a  fifth  of  all  the  land  in  the  Philippines ; 
they  are  more  than  twice  as  large  as  Vermont.  They  have 
more  than  one  third  of  all  the  people  of  the  Philippines, 
or  more  than  four  times  the  combined  population  of  the 
Solomons,  the  Fijis,  New  Caledonia,  Samoa,  the  Carolines, 


194 


nil-;  iiiii  ii'i'iNKs 


aiul  \hc  1  lawaiiiin  Islamls.  Tlicy  have  ihicc  hiindicd  aiul 
fifty  towns,  ranginy;  from  fifteen  hundred  to  twenty-five 
thousand  inhabitants  each,  and  more  than  thirteen  hundred 
and  sixty  villages  with  a  total  population  of  about  two  and 
one  half  millions. 

The  most  of  the  Visayan  people  are  on  the  six  larger 
islands  of  the  group ;  namely,  Panay  (pa-ni'),  Negros 
(na'gros),  Samar  (sa'mar),  Leyte  (la' til),  Cebu  (sa-bbo'), 
and  Bohol  (bo-hdl').  These  islands  are  also  the  richest. 
They  abound  in  hard  wood  and  in  hemp,  sugar  cane, 
tobacco,  and  rice.  They  raise  many  kinds  of  vegetables 
and  all  sorts  of  tropical  fruits.  Some  of  them  are  rich  in 
iron,  copper,  and  coal,  and  others  have  gold,  silver,  and 
lead. 

The  Visayan  people  arc  somewhat  similar  to  the  natives 
of  Luzon,  although  they  have  a  different  language.  They 
live  about  the  same  way,  and  their  villages  are  not  unlike 
those   we  saw  north  of    Manila. 

We  stop  at  Cebu,  the  capital  of  Cebu  Island,  situated 
where  Magellan  made  his  treaty  with  the  natives,  and 
cross  over  to  Mactan,  just  opposite,  where  he  was  killed. 
Cebu  is  one  of  the  chief  hemp  ports  of  the  Philippines, 
and  we  can  now  see  how  this  important  product  is  rai.sed 
and  prepared  for  the  markets. 

Do  you  know  what  hemp  is  ?  P2very  one  of  us  has  used 
it  again  and  again.  We  have  handled  it  as  string  and 
played  with  it  as  jumping  rope.  Some  of  our  farmers  bind 
their  grain  with  it,  our  seamen  use  it  to  ])ull  up  and  let 
down  their  sails,  and  it  is  made  into  all  sorts  of  rojics 
from  clotheslines  to  cables.  Here  in  the  Philippines  the 
finer  kinds  are  woven  into  cloth,  and  some  varieties  are 


THE   VISAYAN    ISLANDS  I95 

sent  to  Paris  where  they  are  made  into  hats,  nets,  and 
carpets. 

Hemp  comes  from  the  fibers  of  certain  plants  found  in 
various  parts  of  the  world.  Manila  hemp,  which  is  about 
the  best  of  all,  is  the  variety  produced  in  the  Philippines. 
It  is  the  fiber  of  the  same  plant  family  that  produces  the 
banana.  The  hemp  plant  looks  just  like  a  banana  plant, 
being  composed  of  many  wide  leaves  wrapped  round  and 
round  a  central  stalk,  which,  when  full  grown,  reaches  a 
height  of  fifteen  or  more  feet.  The  outer  leaves  are  of 
a  beautiful  green  ;  they  are  about  a  foot  wide  and  often 
ten  feet  in  length.  As  they  grow  they  branch  out  from 
the  stalk,  shading  the  ground.  The  hemp  comes  from  the 
white  inner  leaves,  which  are  wound  tightly  around  the 
central  stem,  there  being  so  many  that  the  plant  at  its  base 
is  often  ten  inches  thick. 

As  it  stands  in  the  field  it  is  as  crisp  as  celery,  and 
it  can  be  chopped  off  with  a  carving  knife  or  corn 
cutter.  Each  leaf  has  countless  fibers  extending  through 
it,  and  these,  when  cleaned  and  dried,  form  the  hemp  of 
commerce. 

Hemp  is  raised  in  all  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  and  it 
is  so  largely  exported  that  it  brings  in  millions  of  dollars 
every  year.  At  the  town  where  we  land  on  the  coast  of 
Leyte,  we  see  hemp  fibers  spread  out  on  fences  to  dry, 
and  we  see  men  baling  the  hemp.  Later  on  we  go  out  on 
horseback  with  one  of  the  natives  to  visit  his  plantation, 
passing  buffalo  carts  loaded  with  hemp  coming  in.  We 
go  by  vast  fields  of  hemp,  and  our  friend  takes  us  through 
a  mile  or  so  of  hemp  fields  on  his  estate  to  a  place  where 
men  are  harvesting  the  crop.     We  follow  him  closely  for 

OUK    COLUNIES 12 


196 


iiiK  I'll  11.1  ri'i.\i:s 


fear  we  may  get  lost.  It  is  noon,  but  the  i)lants  are  so 
near  together  that  their  great  leaves  join  antl  siiut  out  the 
sun  ;  there  are  no  paths,  and  we  can  see  but  a  few  feet  in 
any  direction.  Now  and  then  we  stumble  upon  a  cocoa- 
nut  tree,  but,  as  a  rule,  there  is  nothing  but  hemp,  hemp, 
hemp. 

Here  and  there  is  an  open  place  where  a  stalk  has  been 
cut,  but  sprouts  are  growing  about  the  stump,  and  we  are 


Stripping  hemp. 

told  that  a  plantation  once  started  reproduces  itself  many 
times.  In  forming  new  fields  the  sprouts  from  the  older 
plants  are  pulled  off  and  planted,  and  three  years  after 
that  time  the  crop  is  ready  for  cutting.  The  only  culti- 
vation necessary  is  to  keep  down  the  weeds  and  to  set  out 
fresh  sprouts  now  and  then. 

Let  us  watch  them  harvesting  the  hemp.    Brown-skinned, 


I 


THE   VISAVAN    ISLANDS 


197 


half-naked  men  chop  down  the  plants  and  tear  them  apart, 
throwing  away  the  green  outer  leaves  and  taking  the  long 
white  inner  ones  on  their  shoulders  to  the  strippers.  The 
strippers  squeeze  out  the  pulp  and  juice  by  drawing  the 
hemp  over  a  log  upon  which  a  dull  knife  is  so  hinged  that 
it  can  be  forced  tightly  down  upon  the  leaf  to  press  the 
pulp  out  as  the  man  pulls  it  through. 
As  the  fiber  comes  out  it  is  wrapped 
about  a  stick  to  keep  it  from  breaking, 
and  when  finished  it  looks  like  a  skein 
of  fine  silk.  It  now  needs  only  to  be 
dried  in  the  sun  to  be  ready  for  market. 

After  drying,  the  hemp  is  twisted  up 
like  hanks  of  yarn,  and  taken  to  the 
warehouses,  where  it  is  sorted  and  packed 
for  shipment  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 

Leaving  Leyte  we  call  at  Negros  to 
visit  some  of  the  sugar  plantations  for 
which  that  island  is  noted,  and  then 
sail  on  to  Iloilo  (e-lo-e'lo),  on  the  south 
coast  of  Panay.  Iloilo  is  the  second  city 
of  the  archipelago  and  the  chief  port  of  the  Visayans ;  it 
lies  on  an  arm  of  the  sea  just  off  the  strait,  which  runs 
between  Panay  and  the  little  rocky  island  of  Guimaras 
(ge-ma-ras'),  having  a  wide  and  deep  harbor. 

The  ground  about  the  town  is  low  and  sandy,  but  there 
are  mountains  behind  it.  There  are  cocoanut  trees  on  the 
edge  of  the  city,  and  we  hear  the  wind  rustling  through 
their  green  leaves  as  we  ride  in  one  of  the  small  boats  to 
the  shore.  We  are  again  in  the  home  of  the  cocoanut, 
and  from    now  on   shall   see    men   gathering   and   drying 


A  bundle  of  hemp. 


iqS 


Till".  riiiiirriNES 


cocoanut  meal  lor  copia  wherever  we  go.  Nearly  all  the 
Visayan  Islamls  raise  copra  for  e\j)ort,  and  vast  quantities 
of  it  are  produced  in  Mindanao  and  in  the  Sulu  Archipelago 
still  farther  south. 

We  spend  but  little  time  in  Iloiio.    It  is  only  a  small  city, 
its  best  houses  made  of  stone  covered  with  stucco,  and  the 


"They  are  used  for  plowing." 

poorer  ones  of  poles  thatched  with  palm  leaves.  We  shop  at 
the  stores,  and  visit  factories  and  other  establishments,  but 
find  them  much  the  same  as  those  of  Luzon. 

We  take  exxursions  out  into  the  country  either  on  horse- 
back or  in  carts  hauled  by  cattle  with  humps  on  their 
backs.  They  are  similar  to  the  sacred  cattle  of  India, 
being  as  fnie  looking  as  a  i)ure  Jersey  cow.  They  are 
used  for  plowing  and  all  sorts  of  work. 


TllK    VISAVAN    ISLANDS 


199 


"That  log  is  her  water  bucket. 

The  Visayans  outside  the  cities  live  much  the  same  as 
the  natives  of  Luzon.  They  are  huddled  together  in  vil- 
lages, and  their  houses  are,  if  anything,  more  rude  than 
those  farther  north.  They  are  usually  built  w^ell  up  from 
the  ground,  so  that  one  has  to  climb  to  the  front  door 
on  a  ladder  of  bamboo  poles.  The  ladders  have  rungs 
about  as  big  around  as  one's  arm,  and  we  sit  on  them  now 
and  then  as  we  chat  with  the  people.  The  rungs,  in  fact, 
are  the  front  steps  of  the  huts,  and  we  frequently  see  the 
little  ones  playing  upon  them,  turning  over  and  over,  and 
crawling  in  and  out  as  in  a  gymnasium  or  circus. 

Out  in  the  country  the  people  have  on  less  clothing  than 
in  the  north.  Little  children  wear  cotton  shirts  which  reach 
halfway  to  the  knees,  and  the  babies  are  often  naked. 

Other  things  are  equally  primitive.  See  that  girl  in  the 
field   over  there  with   a  loir  on   her  shoulder.      That  log; 


200 


llllL    I'llll.Il'riNES 


is  her  water  bucket,  aiul  she  is  l)ringin<^  a  drink  to  her 
father.  It  is  a  bamboo  tube  six  inches  thick  and  twice 
as  long  as  herself,  with  all  the  joints,  except  the  one  at 
the  lower  end,  knocked  out  so  that  it  will  hold  water. 
If  she  gives  us  a  drink,  we  shall  probably  have  to  stand 


1 


A  schoolboy. 


A  schooigirl. 


behind  her  and  allow  her  to  lower  the  tube  to  the  level 
of  our  mouths,  and  the  chances  are,  if  we  do  so,  we  shall 
get  a  cold  bath  during  the  drinking. 

Before  leaving  Iloilo  we  go  to  see  our  little  brown 
cousins  at  school.  The  United  States  government  has 
established  schools  in  all  parts  of  the  islands,  for  it  has 
determined  that  every  Filipino  shall  have  a  good  educa- 


MINDANAO   AND  THE   MOROS  20I 

tion.  The  schools  look  much  like  ours,  although  the 
children  ot  the  same  age  are  smaller.  They  arc  brown 
skinned,  and  they  wear  clothes  which  would  seem  odd 
in  our  schoolrooms  at  home.  Every  boy  has  his  shirt 
outside  his  trousers,  and  both  boys  and  girls  are  in  their 
bare  feet  or  in  slippers  without  stockings. 

We  arc  surprised  at  the  interest  the  children  take  in 
their  studies.  Every  one  throws  up  his  hand  as  the 
teacher  asks  a  question,  and  the  answers  are  bright. 
The  Filipinos  are  naturally  intelligent,  and  anxious  to 
learn.  They  all  study  English.  They  are  being  taught 
the  principles  of  our  government,  and  in  time  they  will 
probably  be  as  far  advanced  in  American  citizenship  as  our 
people  at  home. 

28.     MINDANAO   AND   THE   MOROS 

WE  are  on  the  beach  at  Zamboanga  (sam-bo-an'ga), 
on  the  great  island  of  Mindanao,  at  the  southern 
end  of  our  PhiUppine  archipelago.  We  are  only  about 
three  hundred  miles  from  the  Equator;  but  the  climate 
is  by  no  means  unpleasant,  for  the  fresh  air  from  the  sea 
fans  our  faces,  whispering  a  welcome  as  it  sweeps  through 
the  palms  overhead. 

Mindanao  is  by  far  the  most  important  of  the  islands 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  Philippines.  It  is  larger 
than  Indiana,  and  although  but  little  of  it  is  inhabited 
by  civilized  people,  it  is  one  of  the  richest  islands 
upon  earth.  Its  soil  will  produce  anything  found  in  the 
northern  parts  of  the  archipelago,  and  it  raises  hemp, 
sugar,    tobacco,    and    rice.      It    has    all    sorts    of    tropical 


202  THP:    rUlMPPINES 

fruits,  and  also  pepper,  cloves,  nutmegs,  and  cinnamon. 
There  are  coffee  fields  within  a  mile  of  where  we  are 
sitting,  and  cocoanut  trees  may  be  seen  by  the  millions 
on  the  lowlands  of  the  coast.  They  are  very  tall,  and 
some  bear  so  many  nuts  that  a  single  tree  could  furnish 
one  for  every  day  of   the  year. 

Mindanao  is  thought  to  be  rich  in  coal,  copper,  iron, 
and  gold.  Its  forests  include  teak,  ebony,  and  Filipino 
mahogany,  and  its  pasture  lands  support  herds  of  horses, 
cattle,  and  carabaos. 

The  island  is  mountainous,  three  great  volcanic  ranges 
crossing  it  from  north  to  south.  The  middle  range  is 
the  highest,  containing  Mount  Apo,  an  active  volcano. 

Mindanao  is  well  watered.  It  has  the  largest  river  of 
the  archipelago,  the  Rio  Grande  at  the  south ;  and  in 
addition  two  hundred  other  rivers  as  well  as  numerous 
lakes,  some  of  which  are  quite  large. 

This  island  is  but  thinly  peopled.  It  is  almost  as  large 
as  Luzon,  but  it  has  not  one  seventh  as  many  inhabit- 
ants, and  most  of  its  population  is  savage  or  at  best 
semicivilized. 

Many  of  the  inhabitants  are  Malayan  tribes  known  as 
Moros,  of  whom  we  shall  see  a  great  deal  as  we  take  a 
trip  around  the  coast.  There  are  also  Visayans  in  the 
northern  and  eastern  provinces,  and  in  the  mountains 
are  Negritos  and  wild  Indonesians. 

We  shall  not  dare  travel  through  the  interior  unac- 
companied by  soldiers.  Many  of  the  mountain  people 
are  barbarous  in  the  extreme.  Some  use  poisoned  arrows, 
some  have  human  sacrifices,  and  others  might  hunt  us  for 
our  heads  like  the  head-hunters  of  Formosa  and  Borneo. 


MINDANAO   AND   THE   MOROS 


203 


Some  of  the  Mindanao  tribes  build  their  houses  in 
trees,  and  others  put  them  high  up  on  bamboo  poles, 
crawling  into  them  on  notched  sticks  which  they  pull 
up  at  night.  In  some  tribes  the  men  are  naked,  and 
the  women  wear  skirts  only  about  a  foot  long. 

The  Bagobos,  who  are  found  about  the  slopes  of 
Mount  Apo,  wear  ivory  or  shell  earrings  as  big  round, 
as  a  cup.  There  is  a  small  button  on  the  inside  of  the 
earring  which  goes  through  the  lobe  of  the  ear. 
They  wear  clothes  of  grass  cloth.  The  men 
have  embroidered  jackets  and  short  trunks, 
and  the  women  jackets  and  skirts  which  reach 
to  the  knee.  Both  sexes  are  fond  of  jewelry, 
and  the  women  wear  strings  of  bells  on  their 
legs  and  heavy  brass  rings  on  their  ankles. 

All  these  tribes  are  pagans,  worshiping 
spirits  which  they  believe  to  live  in  the  trees 
and  mountains.  Our  government  is  civilizing 
them ;  some  have  begun  farming,  and  there 
are  many  schools.  The  most  interesting  peo- 
ple in  this  part  of  the  world  are  the  Moros, 
of  whom  there  are  thousands  in  Mindanao, 
and  also  in  the  Sulu  Archipelago.  a  Bagobo. 

So  far  the  Filipinos  among  whom  we  have  traveled  have 
been  either  Christians  or  pagans.  The  Moros  are  Moham- 
medans ;  that  is,  they  believe  in  a  religion  founded  by 
Mohammed,  who  was  born  in  Arabia  570  years  after 
Christ.  This  man  claimed  to  have  revelations  from  God 
which  were  collected  into  a  book  called  the  Koran.  He 
had  many  folUnvcrs,  who  spread  his  religion  by  the  sword 
and  in  other  ways,  until  a  large  part  of  the  human  race 


204 


TlIK    rinillTINES 


came  tf)  adopt  it.  There  are  millions  of  Mohammedans 
in  Asia  and  Africa,  and  also  in  the  islands  of  Malaysia, 
and  especially  Borneo. 

The  Moros  are  supposed  to  be  descended  from  the 
Dyaks  of  Borneo,  who  invaded  this  part  of  the  world  cen- 
turies ago.  They  were  here  when  Magellan  discovered 
the  islands,  and  were  so  fierce  that  the  Spaniards  were  not 
able  to  conquer  them,  or  to  keep  them  in  complete  sub- 


Group  of  Moros. 

jection.  For  a  long  time  the  Moros  were  noted  as  pirates. 
They  had  fleets  of  war  vessels  in  which  they  sailed  from 
Mindanao  and  Sulu  to  different  parts  of  the  Philippines, 
robbing  the  villages  and  killing  the  people,  or  carrying 
them  back  home  as  slaves.  This  piracy  was  not  stopped 
until  the  Spaniards  sent  steam  gunboats  to  suppress  it. 

The  Moros  have  their  own  towns  and  villages.     They 
are  largely  fishers,  but  also  do  some  farming  in  a  rude  way. 


MINDANAO   AND  THE   MOROS 


205 


They  are  divided  into  tribes,  each  under  its  independent 
chief,  or  datto,  and  they  have  also  several  sultans  to  whom 
they  owe  a  certain  kind  of  allegiance.  The  dattos  once  had 
the  absolute  power  of  life  and  death  over  their  subjects, 
and  until  the  Americans  came,  they  could,  if  they  wished, 


A  datto  and  his  family,  and  Mr.  Carpenter. 

order  any  one  to  be  killed.  They  frequently  make  war 
upon  one  another,  each  going  out  to  battle  with  his  fight- 
ing men.  They  are  brave  and  apparently  hold  life  of  but 
little  account. 

Until  recently  all  the  rich  Moros  had  slaves,  and  slavery 
still  exists  in  some  of  the  tribes,  although  the  slaves  are 
looked  upon  as  members  of  the  family. 

According  to  the  religion  of  Mohammed  every  true 
believer  has  the  right  to  four  wives,  and  we  shall  meet 
many  Moros  who  have  more  than  one,  though  very  few 
have  so  manv  as  four. 


2o6  iiiK  i'iiii.iri'i\i;> 

Such  things,  liowcvcr,  ;iic  hciiii;  rapidly  changed  since 
the  United  States  has  taken  jjossession  ot  the  Philippine 
Islands.  Our  government  now  rules  the  Moros  through 
the  dattos,  allowing  the  people  to  govern  themselves,  but, 
at  the  same  time,  endeavoring  to  prevent  them  from  com- 
mitting crimes  of  all  kinds.  There  is  a  large  native  town 
within  a  short  walk  of  where  we  now  are,  and  we  can  see 
the  Moros  at  home. 

We  first  take  a  stroll  along  the  wide  streets  of  Zambo- 
anga,  through  which  pmiing  streams  flow.  The  town  is 
situated  on  the  sea  in  a  beautiful  park  facing  the  ocean. 
Its  streets  are  lined  with  mango  trees  and  cocoanut  palms, 
and  there  are  banana  groves  and  coffee  fields  on  the  out- 
skirts. Everything  is  the  greenest  of  green,  and  strange 
flowers,  swayed  by  the  sea  breezes,  nod  to  us  as  we  walk  by 
hou.se  after  house.  The  buildings  are  much  like  those  of 
Iloilo,  for  Zamboanga  is  a  Christian  town,  although  it  is  our 
Mohammedan  capital.  Its  population  consists  of  Visayans, 
Chinese,  and  American  officials  and  soldiers,  and  we  now 
and  then  meet  a  Moro  dressed  in  gay  clothes  and  a 
turban.  We  cross  a  bridge,  and  within  a  short  time  find 
ourselves  in  one  of  the  chief  towns  of  the  Moros. 


o^Kc 


29.     THE    SULU    ARCHIPELAGO 

WE  are  in  the  capital  of  one  of  the  dattos  of  southern 
Mindanao.  How  different  it  is  from  our  cities  at 
home!  All  about  us  along  the  coast  and  back  of  it  are 
hundreds  of  yellow  and  gray  thatched  huts,  each  fifteen 
or   twenty  feet  square,  built  high   upon   poles  under  the 


THE   SULU   ARCHirEI.AGO 


207 


tallest  of  cocoanut  trees.  The  floor  of  each  hut  is  about 
six  feet  from  the  ground,  reached  by  a  wide  ladder  with 
round  bamboo  rungs.  Some  of  the  huts  are  quite  large, 
and  some  have  little  verandas  in  front  of  them. 


'"Some  of  the  huts  are  quite  large," 

Let  us  look  into  one.  It  has  but  one  room  ;  the  floor  is 
of  bamboo  poles  covered  with  mats.  There  are  no  chairs 
or  beds,  and  the  people  sit  and  sleep  on  these  mats,  men, 
women,  and  children  lying  down  side  by  side. 

The  Moros  are  as  strange  as  their  houses.  There  are 
scores  of  barefooted,  brown-faced  men  all  about  us,  scores 
of  brown-skinned,  half-naked  boys,  and  naked  babies 
almost  under  our  feet.  The  men  wear  turbans  of  bright 
colors,  loose  jackets,  and  skin-ti,L;ht  trousers  in  stripes  of 
red,  yellow,  and  blue.  Some  have  straw  hats  over  their 
turbans,  ending  at  the  crown  in  a  tin  cone,  which  shines 


2o8  Tin:  rim.iriMNKs 

like  silver  under  the  rays  of  the  sun.  Every  man  and  boy 
wears  a  great  kris  or  sword  at  his  belt;  some  have  spears 
and  lances,  and  others  carry  guns  and  are  apparently  ready 
to  shoot.  There  are  also  brown-skinned  women  in  long 
gowns,  and  little  girls  clad  the  same  way ;  so  that  all 
together  the  crowd  is  the  oddest  we  have  yet  seen. 

It  seems  stranger  the  longer  we  look.  How  fierce  these 
people  are,  and  how  different  in  appearance  from  the 
Tagalos  and  Visayans !  Their  faces  are  darker,  their 
cheek  bones  are  high,  and  they  remind  us  of  our  American 
Indians.  Notice  their  blood-red  lips  and  black  teeth. 
They  all  chew  the  betel  and  seem  to  think  black  teeth 
prettier  than  white  ones. 

Look  at  the  woman  laughing  over  there  at  the  right. 
Did  you  ever  see  such  teeth  in  your  life  ?  They  are  jet 
black  and  curve  out  at  the  front.  They  have  been  filed 
down  with  a  stone,  and  she  considers  the  curve  a  great 
beauty.  All  these  women  have  their  teeth  filed  in  that 
way.  The  filing  was  done  when  they  were  grown  up  and 
ready  for  marriage.  The  ojieration  is  so  painful  that  the 
girls  often  faint  away  under  it,  but  it  is  the  fashion,  and  all 
Moro  girls  want  their  teeth  filed.  After  filing,  the  teeth 
are  blackened,  and  the  black  is  renewed  every  few  weeks. 

We  ask  our  guide  something  about  the  Moro  customs 
as  we  walk  on  through  the  village.  He  tells  us  that  mar- 
riage is  a  matter  of  bargain  and  sale,  and  that  a  fine-look- 
ing girl  can  usually  be  bought  for  ten  dollars,  or  for  a 
carabao,  and  perhaps  a  few  presents. 

Strolling  down  the  chief  street  of  the  village,  we  come 
to  a  house  much  larger  than  the  others.  This  is  the  resi- 
dence of  the  datto  or  chief,  who  receives  us  kindlv,  offer- 


THE    SULU    ARCHIPELAGO 


209 


ing  us  cigarettes  to  smoke  and  betel  to  chew ;  but  we 
refuse,  thanking  him  for  his  courtesy.  He  tells  us  he 
is  glad  the  Americans  have  taken  possession  of  the 
country,  and  that  he  is  proud  of  being  an  American 
citizen. 

A  few  days  later  we  leave  Zamboanga  for  a  trip  around 
the  south  coast  of  Mindanao,  stopping  here  and  there  at 


A  Sulu  village. 

various  ports  until  at  last  we  reach  Davao  (da'va-o),  a 
Christian  town,  at  the  head  of  Davao  Bay,  in  the  south- 
eastern end  of  the  island.  The  mountains  have  been  in 
sight  all  the  way,  and  now  as  we  sail  up  Davao  Bay  we 
see  Mount  Apo,  out  of  whose  sides  clouds  of  vapor  are 
rolling.     At  night  the  clouds  are  rosy  with  fire. 

We  spend  some  time  at  Davao,  and  from  there  make 
trips  into  the  forests.  The  trees  are  so  bound  together 
with  vines  that  we  have  to  follow  the  streams  or  cut  our 


210  'liii:  riiiiii'i'iNES 

way  tl"ir()ii;^h.  There  are  monkeys  of  many  kinds,  some 
of  great  size  and  otliers  not  nuieh  bigger  than  }'our  two 
fists.  There  are  almost  as  many  parrots  as  in  Australia 
and  New  Guinea,  and  we  often  see  flocks  of  white  parrots 
with  tufts  on  their  heads,  parrots  of  bright  red  with  green 
wings,  and  other  birds  noted  for  their  whistling  and 
singing. 

Mindanao  has  doves  which  have  golden  brown  bodies 
and  green  wings,  great  white  snipes,  and  strange  birds  as 
big  as  turkeys  and  of  the  same  shape.  It  has  white 
herons  and  wild  pigeons  three  times  as  big  as  our  pigeons 
at  home.  In  the  woods  there  are  also  wild  hogs  and  deer 
of  various  kinds.  The  bird  and  animal  life  is  wonderful, 
and  we  regret  that  we  have  not  time  to  collect  specimens 
to  take  home  to  our  friends. 

Leaving  Davao,  we  sail  back  along  the  southern  coast 
of  Mindanao  and  then  go  westward  to  the  Sulu  Archi- 
pelago, which  lies  between  Mindanao  and  Borneo.  The 
archipelago  consists  of  i88  islands,  but  they  are  so  small 
that  you  could  crowd  them  all  into  the  state  of  Rhode 
Island  and  have  space  to  spare.  The  larger  islands  are 
volcanic  and  high,  and  the  smaller  mere  coral  beds,  a  few 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  largest  island  is 
Tawi  Tawi,  which  has  a  mountain  range  running  through 
it,  but  the  most  populous  and  most  important  is  Sulu.  It 
is  there  that  the  sultan  lives,  and  there  American  officials 
and  soldiers  are  stationed  to  keep  him  and  his  people  in 
order. 

Outside  of  Sulu  there  is  but  little  arable  land,  the  chief 
exports  being  the  pearl  shells  gathered  from  the  seas  of 
this  resrion.     Pearl  fishintr  is  carried  on  here  much  as  in 


THE    SULU   ARCHIPELAGO  211 

Australia.  The  shells  are  shipped  to  Europe  and  to  the 
United  States,  and  according  to  custom  the  most  of  the 
pearls  are  given  to  the  sultan. 

We  land  at  the  port  of  Sulu  (soo-loo'),  where  our  sol- 
diers are  stationed.  It  is  a  deHghtful  town  of  about  a  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  mostly  Christian  Filipinos,  Chinese,  and 
Americans,  and  is  on  the  edge  of  the  sea.  Sulu  is  sur- 
rounded by  walls,  and  its  streets  are  shaded  by  great  trees, 
the  limbs  of  which  come  together,  making  arbors  which 
shield  us  from  the  tropical  sun  as  we  stroll  through  them. 
The  houses  are  comfortable ;  most  of  them  were  erected 
by  the  Spaniards,  who  also  stationed  soldiers  here  to  keep 
the  natives  in  order. 

The  Moros  live  in  villages  along  the  coast  or  in  the 
interior.  Their  houses  are  often  built  upon  poles  out  from 
the  shore,  so  that  we  walk  over  bridges  to  reach  them, 
and  so  that  the  children  can  lish  froni  the  bridges  or  the 
front  doors.  The  women  never  sweep,  for  the  dirt  falls 
down  into  the  sea  through  the  cracks  in  the  floor. 

The  Sulu  Moros  dress  much  the  same  as  the  Moros 
of  Mindanao.  They  are  quite  as  fierce,  and  the  men  and 
boys  all  carry  weapons.  They  have  similar  customs, 
and  we  are  told  that  slavery  was  long  common  among 
them. 

We  take  a  horseback  ride  across  the  island  to  the  town 
of  Maibun  (ml-boon')  on  the  south  coast,  where  the  sultan 
has  his  capital.  Maibun  is  just  like  the  other  Moro 
villages  we  have  seen,  only  larger.  It  lies  on  the  sea, 
and  the  most  of  it  consists  of  thatched  houses  built  upon 
piles.  The  sultan's  guard  meets  us  on  the  edge  of  his 
village    and    escorts    us    to  his  Majesty's  royal  palace,   a 


212 


BORNEO  213 

great  barn  of  a  house  with  nothing-  gorgeous  about  it. 
The  sultan  is  not  prepossessing,  and  he  impresses  us  all 
the  less  favorably  because  he  chews  the  betel  and  smokes 
during  our  audience.  Our  guide  tells  us  that  he  is  powerful 
because  the  Moros  look  up  to  him  as  a  representative  of 
their  religion,  and  therefore  think  he  has  the  right  to  rule 
over  them. 

30.     BORNEO 

BORNEO  is  so  near  some  of  the  Sulu  Islands  that  a 
fast  steamer  could  go  from  one  place  to  the  other  in 
a  few  hours;  but  our  vessel  is  small,  and  the  journey 
from  Sulu  takes  more  than  a  day.  The  weather  is  fine, 
and  the  breeze  tempers  the  hot  rays  of  the  sun.  We 
pass  many  islets  covered  with  green,  and  see  the  Ameri- 
can flag  floating  from  places  ujion  them.  The  water  is 
smooth  and  so  beautifully  clear  that  when  the  ship 
stops  at  an  island  or  so  on  the  way,  we  hang  over  the 
rail  and  watch  the  fish  swimming  far  down  below  us. 
The  variety  of  sea  life  is  such  that  it  reminds  us  of  the 
Fijis  and  the  coral  islands  of  the  southern  Pacific. 

At  last  the  mountains  of  Borneo  come  into  view,  a 
hazy  blue  line  cutting  the  sky.  They  grow  larger  as  we 
come  nearer,  and  the  shores,  covered  with  cocoanut  palms 
and  other  dense  vegetation,  are  visible.  Many  fishing 
villages  are  now  to  be  seen,  built  high  upon  piles  like 
those  of  the  Sulus.  We  wind  in  and  out  along  the  coast, 
and  at  last  come  to  anchor  in  the  beautiful  harbor  of 
Sandakan  (san-da'k^niX    and    land    on    l^orneo,    the    third 

OUR    COLONIES I  : 


214  'i'"t^  t:-'^^'i'  i^'J^>it:s 

larj^cst  island  of  the  world.  It  is  larger  than  any  country 
of  Europe  with  the  excej)tion  of  Russia,  and  more  than 
twice  the  size  of  the  whole  Philippine  archipelago. 

Borneo  is  so  large  that  we  can  hope  to  see  but  a 
small  part  of  it.  Its  coast  line  is  as  long  as  the  distance 
from  New  York  to  Liverpool,  and  if  we  would  sail 
round  it,  we  shcndd  have  to  hire  a  ship  of  our  own,  for 
there  are  no  regular  steamers.  There  are  no  roads 
through  the  interior,  and  our  information  concerning  it 
must  come  from  a  visit  to  the  principal  ports,  and  what 
we  can  learn  from  maps  and  the  stories  of  travelers. 

This  vast  country  has  great  mountains,  mighty  plains, 
and  numerous  rivers.  It  is  wild  in  the  extreme,  and 
much  of  it  has  not  been  trodden  by  ci\'ilized  man.  The 
mountains  and  lowlands  are  covered  with  jungle  and 
forest,  the  trees  being  bound  together  with  rattans  and 
other  ropelike  vines  which  make  it  almost  impossible  to 
cut  one's  way  through.  Many  of  the  plains  are  flooded 
during  the  rainy  season,  and  the  rivers  swarm  with 
crocodiles. 

Borneo  is  a  land  of  wild  animals,  including  elephants, 
rhinoceroses,  boars,  deer,  and  bears.  It  has  a  great 
variety  of  monkeys,  some  very  small  and  others  of 
enormous  size,  such  as  the  orang-outang,  a  sort  of  man 
ape.  This  animal  looks  much  like  a  human  being,  al- 
though it  is  covered  with  hair.  When  grown  it  is  about 
four  feet  in  height ;  it  has  long  arms  and  short  legs,  and 
is  so  strong  that  it  often  kills  the  men  who  attack  it.  The 
orang-outang  lives  in  the  trees,  swinging  itself  from  branch 
to  branch  by  its  hands.  It  rarely  comes  to  the  ground 
except  for  food  or  water,  and  is  inoffensive  if  unmolested. 


BORNEO 


215 


The  island  has  snakes  of  the  most  deadly  kind  and 
great  pythons,  some  of  which  are  thirty  or  forty  feet 
long.  There  are  flying  lizards  of  a  golden  green  color, 
and  lizards  which  climb  up  the  walls  of  the  houses 
catching  flies.  There  are  butterflies,  some  measuring 
six   inches   across  the    wings,  and   myriads   of  beetles  of 


Orang-outang'. 

various  kinds.     The  island  is  a  world  of  natural  wonders, 
as  we  shall  see  in  our  excursions  out  from  the  ports. 

The  people,  however,  are  the  strangest  of  all.  The  popu- 
lation is  about  two  millions  in  number,  almost  all  savages. 
There  are  many  different  tribes,  but  they  are  chiefly  Indo- 
nesians, called  Dyaks  (dl'aks).  Those  on  the  coast  near 
Sandakan  are  much  like  the  Moros,  and  they  live  the  same 
way.     Those  of   the   interior  are  more  savage  than  the 


2l6 


Till-:    KAST    INDIKS 


wildest  (if  our  Filipinos,  many  of  Ihcni  ])iacticin<;  head- 
hunting and  being  by  no  means  iiaiticular  whose  heads 
they  take.  They  lie  in  wait  for  tra\elers  and  kill  them 
if  they  ean  cateh  them  alone  or  in  small  parties,  in  order 
to  secure  their  heads  as  trophies.  They  dry  the  heads 
thus  taken  and  hang  them  up  in  their  huts.  The  man  who 
has  the  largest  number  of  human  heads  is  thought  to  be 

the  bravest,  and  among 

some  tribes  it  is  said  one 

is  not  esteemed  of  any 

account  until  he  has  cap 

tured  at  lea.st  one  head. 

Some   of    these    people 

believe  that  the  persons 

whose  heads  they  take 

will  become  their  slaves 

in  the  next  world,   and 

others  that  a  new  head 

hung  upon  the  walls  of 

their  hut  will  bring  the 

family    jjrosjieritv,    and 

make  it  successful  in  all 

Dyak  woman.  j^s  Undertakings. 

The   savages    of    Borneo,   for  whom   we    shall   use  the 

general  term  "  Dvaks,"  look   not  unlike  the  best  savage 

races  of  our  Philippine  Islands,  although  they  are  lighter 

in  color,  taller,  and  more  active. 

They  wear  but  little  clothing,  the  men  of  some  tribes 
having  only  a  band  of  bark  or  cotton  cloth  about  the  loins, 
and  the  women  short  petticoats  of  bark  or  cotton.  In 
other  regions   both    men  and  women  wear  jackets.     The 


BORNEO 


217 


Dyak's  ear. 


Dyaks  arc  fond  of  dis})lay  and  have  many  ornaments 
peculiar  to  themselves.  Some  of  the  women  wear  corsets 
made  of  brass  or  lead  rings  strung  on  strips  of  rattan, 
which  they  wind  about  their  waists  and  the  lower  parts  of 
their  bodies.  A  woman  so  dressed  looks  not 
unlike  a  barrel  walking  off  upon  legs  with 
the  head  and  arms  sticking  out  of  the  top. 
The  brass  rings  are  often  highly  polished,  so 
that  the  girls  appear  dressed  in  coats  of 
bright  mail. 

Many  of  both  sexes  wear  enormous  ear 
plugs  and  earrings,  some  of  which  are  as  big 
around  as  a  napkin  ring.  The  holes  in  the 
lobes  of  their  ears  are  so  large  that  they  can 
carry  a  cigar  in  them;  and  one  traveler  says 
he  measured  one  that  was  seven  inches  long.  We  ask  how 
such  holes  are  made  and  are  told  that  the  ear  is  pierced 
during  babyhood.  The  hole  is  very  small  at  first,  but  it  is 
stretched  by  putting  larger  and  larger  plugs  in  it,  so  that 
when  the  child  is  grown  up,  he  has  a  loop  or  hole  in  his 
ear  from  one  to  four  inches  long. 

The  Dyaks  file  and  blacken  their  teeth, 
sometimes  so  cutting  the  edges  that  they 
look  like  saws.  They  bore  holes  into  the 
teeth  and  fit  brass  jMvots  in  them ;  they 
also  hollow  them  out  like  those  of  the 
Moros. 

In  North  Borneo  many  of  the  Dyaks  live  in  villages, 
some  having  small  farms.  They  raise  fruit  and  rice  and 
also  tobacco  and  sugar  cane.  Both  women  and  men  labor 
in  the  fields,  but  the  women  do  most  of  the  work.     More 


Dyak's  teeth. 


2l8 


TIIK    KASr    I  XL)  IKS 


often,  however,  llie\'  are  tisliers  ami  huulers,  and  very 
expert  hunters  they  are.  They  use  dogs  to  help  them, 
spearing  the  game  when  the  dogs  bring  it  to  bay.  They 
shoot  poisoned  arrows  through  blowpipes  and  catch  croco- 
diles with  a  sharp  wooden  stick  to  which  a  rattan  rope  is 
attached.     They  bait  the  stick  by  thrusting  it  through  a 

dead  monkey.     The 


crocodile  swallows 
the  monkey,  and  the 
sharp-pointed  stick 
gets  crosswise  in  his 
throat  or  stomach, 
and  the  harder  he 
pulls  the  tighter  it  is 
fastened.  After  a 
while  the  crocodile 
is  worn  out,  and  he 
can  then  be  pulled 
in   and  killed. 

The  natives  of  Bor- 
neo live  differently 
in  different  parts  of 
the  island.     In  some 


uroup  ot   uyaKS. 


tribes  each  family  has  its  own  house,  and  in  others  all 
dwell  together  in  great  thatched  buildings  with  many  com- 
partments, each  compartment  belonging  to  a  family.  In 
some  villages  there  are  bachelors'  flats  where  the  young 
unmarried  men  sleep  and  where  travelers  are  kept  over 
night. 

Their  houses   are  generally  upon  poles  high    up  from 
the  ground,   and   in  some   places  they  are  even  built   in 


BORNEO 


219 


the  trees.  The  buildings  arc  much  the  same  as  in  the 
PhiHppines,  the  walls  and  roofs  being  of  the  nipa  palm 
and  the  framework  of  poles.  Very  little  iron  is  used, 
everything  being  carefully  fitted  together,  and  the  walls 
and  roofs  tied  or  sewed  on  with  rattan. 


"Their  houses  are  upon  poles." 

All  Borneo,  although  most  of  it  is  still  in  the  hands  of 
such  savages,  is  now  claimed  by  the  British  and  the 
Dutch.  The  British  possessions  are  by  far  the  smaller. 
They  include  the  states  of  North  Borneo,  Brunei  (broo'ni), 
and  Sarawak  (sa-ra'wak)  in  the  northern  and  north- 
western parts  of  the  mainland.  The  rest  of  the  island  be- 
longs to  Holland,  being  under  the  administration  of  the 
governor  general  of  the  Dutch  East  Indies,  whom  we  may 
visit  during  our  travels  in  Java. 

We  spend  a  few  days  in  Sandakan.  It  is  the  capital  of 
North    Borneo,  and   is  therefore    the    residence  of  many 


220  Tin-:  i:ast  indies 

English  officials  and  merchants.  It  has  about  seven  thou- 
sand peoi)lo,  of  whom  perhaps  half  are  Chinese.  The 
English  own  the  best  stores,  and  their  houses  make  Sanda- 
kan  look  more  like  one  of  the  towns  of  northern  Australia 
than  like  the  Moro  settlements  we  have  just  left.  There 
is  a  good  hotel,  a  newspaper  office,  and  a  museum  in  which 
we  have  a  chance  to  see  some  of  the  curious  things  used 
by  the  natives. 

The  English  have  brought  much  of  the  land  near  San- 
dakan  under  cultivation  ;  and  we  go  out  with  them  to  visit 
their  plantations  of  coffee,  tobacco,  and  hemp.  They  show 
us  places  where  vast  numbers  of  rubber  trees  have  been 
set  out,  and  also  cocoanut  groves  which  they  have  planted 
to  produce  copra  for  Europe.  We  spend  some  time  with  the 
governor  and  other  officials,  and  then  take  ship  for  Brunei 
and  Sarawak  along  the  west  coast. 

The  journey  takes  several  days.  We  skirt  the  shores, 
seeing  everywhere  the  same  rich  vegetation  and  low, 
jungle-covered  plains  w'ith  great  mountains  behind  them. 
We  pass  many  Dyaks  out  fishing  in  their  curious  boats, 
and,  sailing  into  Brunei,  stop  at  the  capital  on  a  little 
river  about  fifteen  miles  from  its  mouth.  We  steam  right 
up  the  river  into  the  heart  of  the  city  and  anchor  among 
houses  built  upon  piles.  Some  of  the  houses  are  appar- 
ently floating.  The  market  is  made  up  of  stalls,  each  of 
which  is  a  canoe,  and  the  purchasers  go  from  stall  to  stall 
in  their  boats.  Brunei  has  a  sultan,  but  as  it  is  under 
English  protection,  it  may  be  called  a  British  possession. 
Our  ship  remains  but  a  short  time,  and  then  steams  on 
several  hundred  miles  down  the  coast  to  Sarawak,  which 
is  also  governed  by  the   English. 


BORNEO  221 

Sarawak  has  a  j)opulation  of  about  five  hundred  thou- 
sand Dyaks  and  Malays.  It  is  one  of  the  richest  of  the 
Borneo  states,  producing  gold,  silver,  and  diamonds  as  well 
as  gutta-percha,  camphor,  beeswax,  sago,  pepper,  and  trop- 
ical fruits.  It  became  a  possession  of  England  in  a  curious 
way.  In  1839  when  the  tribes  inhabiting  it  were  fighting 
against  one  another,  and  their  sultan  could  not  control 
them,  a  rich  Englishman,  named  Sir  James  Brooke,  who 
was  sailing  about  these  seas  in  his  own  vessel,  landed 
and  came  to  the  sultan's  aid.  He  took  the  management 
of  the  government  and  brought  about  peace  and  good 
order.  He  did  so  well  that  he  was  made  the  actual  ruler 
of  the  country  with  the  title  of  Rajah  Brooke,  and  some 
time  after  that  Sarawak  was  declared  to  be  under  I^ritish 
protection.  It  is  still  ruled  by  the  descendants  of  Sir 
James  Brooke,  who  govern  the  island  somewhat  like  an 
English  colony. 

Our  vessel  stops  at  Kuching  (koo'ching),  the  capital  of 
Sarawak,  a  city  of  about  twenty  thousand  people  on  the 
Sarawak  River  twenty-five  miles  from  its  mouth.  The 
rajah  has  been  informed  of  our  coming,  and  we  are  well 
taken  care  of  while  we  stay.  He  arranges  a  crocodile  hunt 
for  us  and  also  a  trip  into  the  interior,  where  we  have  ex- 
citing adventures  with  monkeys  and  bears,  and  narrowly 
escape  injury  in  our  vain  attempts  to  capture  an  orang- 
outang. The  beast  tears  the  flesh  of  our  guide  and 
then  escapes  through  the  trees. 

Returning  to  Kuching  we  rest  there  a  few  days  in  the 
comfortable  homes  of  the  English  residents,  and  then 
take  ship  for  Dutch  Borneo,  landing  at  Banjermassin 
(ban-yer-ma'.sin ),  its  chief  cit)'  on   Ihc  south  coast. 


222  Tlir.    KAST    INDIES 


31.     TH]'    DUTCH    EAST   INDIES 

TO-DAY  we  begin  our  travels  through  tlie  vast  pos- 
sessions belonging  to  Holland  in  this  part  of  the 
world.  They  are  known  as  the  Dutch  East  Indies  and 
include  not  only  the  greater  part  of  Borneo  and  the 
western  half  of  New  Guinea,  but  almost  the  whole  of 
the  Malay  Archipelago.  They  have  a  territory  greater 
than  the  combined  areas  of  our  Atlantic  states  added  to 
Indiana,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Mississippi,  and  North  and 
South   Dakota. 

Many  of  the  islands  are  principalities  in  themselves. 
Sumatra  is  longer  than  the  distance  from  New  York  to 
Chicago,  and  Java  is  longer  than  the  distance  from  Phila- 
deli:)hia  to  Cleveland.  The  Moluccas  have  more  territory 
than  Ohio,  Celebes  (sel'c-bez)  more  than  Missouri,  Java 
more  than  New  York,  Dutch  New  Guinea  almost  as  much 
as  California,  and  Dutch  Borneo  more  than  any  European 
country  except  Russia. 

The  most  of  this  vast  territory,  with  the  exception  of 
Java,  is  wild  and  unexplored.  The  islands  are  of  about 
the  same  character  as  those  parts  of  New  Guinea  and 
Borneo  which  we  have  seen.  There  are  few  roads,  they 
are  inhabited  by  savages,  and  we  shall  be  able  to  visit 
only  their  coasts.  Our  chief  travels  will  be  confined  to 
Java,  the  most  important  of  all  the  islands  where  the 
Dutch  capital  is  situated,  and  where  the  i)eople  are 
almost  as  civilized  as  our  Eilipinos. 

Banjermassin,  in  Dutch  Borneo  where  wq  are  now,  is 
built  almost  entirely  upon  the  water.      It  lies  on  a  branch 


THE    DUTCH    EAST    INDIES  223 

of  the  Barito  River,  the  most  of  its  houses  standiui^  upon 
piles  so  that  the  water  flows  beneath  them  when  the 
river  is  high.  The  Barito  is  filled  with  craft  of  all  de- 
scription :  great  barges,  steam  tugs,  little  canoes,  bamboo 
rafts,  and  floating  houses.  It  has  about  forty  thousand 
people,  and  is  a  place  of  considerable  trade.  It  lies  in 
the  heart  of  a  country  rich  in  gold,  diamonds,  and  coal. 

During  our  stay  we  call  upon  the  officials.  They  are 
Dutchmen  who  have  been  sent  out  from  Holland  to  gov- 
ern the  territory.  Many  of  them  speak  English,  and  they 
tell  us  much  concerning  the  country.  They  say  that  the 
people  are  not  unlike  those  we  saw  in  the  north  and  that 
they  are  ruled,  as  far  as  possible,  through  the  native  chiefs 
with  themselvcG  and  other  Dutchmen  as  advisers,  and  that 
this  is  the  custom  throughout  the  whole  archipelago.  The 
Dutch  territory  includes  most  of  the  island,  but  it  is  wild 
and  almost  unexplored. 

After  a  day  or  so  at  Banjermassin  our  steamer  goes 
on  to  Celebes,  an  odd-shaped  island  larger  than  any  of 
the  Philippines.  Our  first  stop  is  at  Makassar  on  the 
southwestern  end.  It  is  a  thriving  port  with  a  good 
harbor.  It  has  many  snow-white  buildings,  the  homes 
of  the  Dutch,  and  a  vast  number  of  bamboo  huts  shaded 
by  bananas  and  cocoanut  trees,  the  homes  of  the  natives. 
The  streets  are  filled  with  brown-skinned  people,  the  men 
wearing  about  their  waists  bright-colored  cloths  which  fall 
almost  to  their  feet,  and  the  women  tight  skirts  and  loose 
jackets  of  the  same  stuff.  There  are  many  Chinese  and 
Arabs  and  a  few  Europeans.  The  natives  remind  us  of 
our  Filipino  cousins,  and  we  are  told  that  many  of  them 
are  Mohammedans. 


224 


TIIK    KAST   INDIES 


Wc  visit  the  sui;";ii"  plantations  and  rice  fields  near  the 
city,  and  make  a  lew  sliort  trips  out  into  the  country,  find- 
ing the  vegetation  not  unlike  that  of  the  parts  of  Borneo 
we  have  just  left.  Taking  ship  again,  we  go  around  the 
upper    end   of    the    island    to  Menado   to  visit  the  coffee 

])]antati<)ns  which  are 
an  important  feature  of 
this  part  of  Celebes,  and 
thence  on  east  to  the 
Moluccas,  where  Magel- 
lan's ships,  after  leaving 
the  Philippines,  loaded 
up  with  spices  for  their 
long  home  voyage. 

Spices  still  grow  in 
the  Moluccas,  and  we 
stop  at  Amboina  (am- 
boi'na),  one  of  these 
islands,  to  visit  the  clove 
and  nutmeg  plantations. 
Clove  trees  are  of  a 
beautiful  green,  many  of  them  thirty  or  forty  feet  high. 
Some  of  them  are  covered  with  blossoms  which  range  in 
color  from  the  green  buds  to  the  bright  red.  flowers  of  full 
bloom.  The  cloves  are  the  blossoms  which  are  picked 
when  they  are  red.  They  are  cured  by  smoking  them 
over  a  slow  wood  fire.  This  turns  them  brown  or  black, 
and  they  are  then  ready  for  use.  They  are  next  packed 
up  in  bales  and  boxes  and  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  world 
to  be  used  in  pickles  and  other  such  things. 

Clove   trees    are   [)lanted    and    cultivated.     They   begin 


Natives  of  Celebes. 


THE   DUTCH    EAST   INDIES 


225 


to  bear  when  they  are  six  years  old,  after  which  they 
will  yield  up  to  about  seventy  years,  eacli  tree  giving 
about  six  pounds  of  cloves  every  year. 

Nutmegs  grow  upon  trees  not  unlike  our  joear  trees,  but 
more  beautiful.  They  have  bright  yellow  blossoms  and 
their  fruit  is  more  like  a  peach  in  color,  although  it  is 
shaped  somewhat  like  a  pear.  It  is  of  the  size  of  an 
apricot.  As  it  ripens  the  pulp  which  is  very  thick  splits 
open  and  shows  the  nutmeg  or  kernel  surrounded  by  a 
network  of  crimson  mace  within.  In  preparing  the  fruit 
for  the  market,  the  pulpy  outside  is  thrown  awav  and  the 
nuts  are  dried  slowly  in  ovens. 
The  mace  is  taken  off  and  mar- 
keted as  one  spice,  while  the 
kernel  itself  forms  another,  the 
nutmeg  of  commerce.  About  a 
million  and  a  half  pounds  of 
nutmegs  and  several  hundred 
thousand  pounds  of  mace  are 
exported  from  the  East  Indies 
every  year. 

The  nutmeg  tree  has  its  first 
fruit  when   it  is  ten  years  old,  ^"*'^'S'- 

and  after  this  it  continues  to  bear  a  long  time.  A  good 
tree  annually  produces  about  three  pounds  of  nutmegs  and 
one  pound  of  mace.  Raising  nutmegs  is  carried  on  in  the 
different  islands  of  Malaysia,  and  the  business  is  said  to 
be  profitable. 

New  Guinea  is  very  near  the  Moluccas,  and  we  have 
here  not  only  Malayans  and  Indonesians  such  as  in  the 
Philippines,    but    also     many     fri/.zly    haired    and    dark- 


226  TIIK   KASr    l\I)Ii:s 

skinned  Papuans.  We  arc  i^cttint;  outside  the  rc^^ion  of  the 
Malays,  and  it  we  siiould  sail  directly  south  from  where 
we  are  now,  we  should  strike  the  coast  of  northern 
Australia  not  far  from  Tort  Darwin,  which  we  visited  on 
our  trip  round  that  continent.  For  this  reason  the 
Moluccas  have  many  things  similar  to  both  New  Guinea 
and  Australia.  It  has  pouch-bearing  animals.  There  are 
cassowaries,  parrots  of  many  colors,  birds  of  paradise,  and 
kinghshers,  one  variety  of  which  has  a  bright  red  bill  and 
brilliant  blue  feathers. 

Leaving  the  Moluccas,  we  sail  on  to  New  Guinea,  mereW 
touching  the  great  island  before  again  turning  westward. 
The  Dutch  possessions  in  New  Guinea  are  about  equal  in 
extent  to  those  of  the  British,  but  the  country  is  so  wild 
that  we  dc  not  attempt  to  explore  it.  We  buy  a  few  spears 
and  some  bows  and  arrows  of  the  natives  for  trophies,  and 
also  several  red  i^arrots  and  some  skins  of  the  birds  of  para- 
dise, and  then  steam  out  toward  the  west  on  our  long  voyage 
to  Java. 

Our  course  is  a  little  to  the  southward.  We  enter  the 
channel  between  Wetter  Island  and  the  island  of  Timor 
(te-mor'),  and  .sail  along  the  coast  of  the  latter,  examining 
the  shores  through  our  glas.ses.  Timor  is  about  three  times 
as  large  as  Porto  Rico.  It  is  a  volcanic  island,  as  we  can 
see  from  the  ragged,  rough  mountains.  The  captain  telis 
us  that  the  people  arc  almost  all  savages,  and  that  it  does 
not  pay  him  to  stop  there  to  trade.  Timor  is  about  equally 
divided  between  the  Portuguese  and  Dutch. 

A  little  farther  westward  we  jxiss  P^lores,  a  volcanic 
island  as  long  as  the  distance  from  Philadelphia  to  lioston. 
Our  steamer  does  not  stop,  for  the  most  of  the  trading  there 


THE   DUTCH    EAST   INDIES  227 

is  ill  native  sailing  vessels.  The  chief  exports  arc  a 
peculiar  kind  of  bird's  nests,  tortoise  shell,  wax,  sandal- 
wood, and  cinnamon.  The  nests  are  found  in  caves  ;  they 
are  lined  and  stuck  together  with  the  saliva  of  the  birds. 
They  are  all  shipped  to  China,  where  the  natives  boil 
them  and  make  from  them  a  clear  soup  of  which  they 
are  very  fond. 

Still  farther  west  we  coast  Sumbawa  (soom-ba'wa),  noted 
for  its  volcanoes.  The  word  "  Sumbawa  "  means  the  land 
of  fire,  and  this  island  seems  well  named,  for  we  can  see  the 
steam  rising  in  great  clouds  from  some  of  its  peaks.  The 
crater  of  Mount  Tambora  is  more  than  seven  miles  wide, 
and  so  large  that  a  good-sized  city  might  be  dropped  into 
it  without  touching  the  edges.  The  crater  was  caused  by 
an  eruption  in  1815  when  the  whole  top  of  the  mountain, 
a  mass  higher  and  thicker  than  Mount  Washington,  was 
blown  into  the  air.  Before  that  time  Tambora  was  thirteen 
thousand  feet  high.  This  eruption  tore  off  about  eight 
thousand  feet,  making  so  great  an  explosion  that  it  was 
heard  in  Sumatra,  a  thousand  miles  away,  and  also  on 
Ternate,  nine  hundred  miles  off  in  another  direction. 

Our  captain  tells  us  that  when  the  eruption  of  Tambora 
occurred,  the  ocean  for  miles  about  was  covered  with  float- 
ing timber.  Ashes  so  coated  the  water  that  ships  could 
hardly  make  their  way  through  them,  and  they  so  filled 
the  air  that  it  was  pitch  dark  in  the  daytime  for  hours 
after  the  explosion  occurred.  At  the  same  time  the  whirl- 
winds lashed  the  sea  to  a  foam  ;  they  tore  up  the  largest 
trees  by  the  roots  and  carried  men,  horses,  and  cattle  for 
miles  through  the  air.  A  town  lying  at  the  foot  of  Tam- 
bora was  swallowed  up,  for  the  shore  sank,  and  the  sea 


228 


TIIK    KAST   INDIES 


came   in   aiul  covered  the  eailli   to  a  tle})lli  oi  eij^ht   feet, 

and  there  it  is  to  this  day. 

Notwithstanding    this,   there   are   still  people   living  on 

Sumbawa.      It   has    towns    and  villages,  and    the    natives 

work  away  as  though 
they  were  not  in  con- 
stant danger  of  another 
eruption. 

As  we  sail  farther 
westward,  we  pass  Lom- 
bok  and  Bali,  other 
volcanic  islands  more 
thickly  populated,  and 
thence  go  on  by  Ma- 
dura, an  island  where 
great  quantities  of  salt 
are  eva])orated  from  sea 
water,  and  then  along 
the  north  coast  of  Java 

-...::.  ■.■o:canoes  in  sight  all  the  way.  ■  vvith    VOlcanOeS    in    sight 

all  the  way,  until  at  last  we  come  to  the  port  for  Batavia, 
the  capital  of  the  Dutch  East  Indies. 


o>Kc 


32.     BATAVIA,    TMK    DUTCH    CAPITAL 

WE  are  walking  along  the  wide  canal  which  runs 
through  the  principal  street  of  Batavia.  On  each 
side  of  us  quaint  houses,  with  white  walls  and  overhanging 
roofs  of  red  tiles,  look  dow^n  upon  and  mirror  themselves 
in  the  water.     The  buildings  are  like  those  in   Dutch  j)ic- 


i 


BATAVIA,   THE    DUTCH    CAPITAL 


229 


tures,  and  were  it  not  for  the  palm  trees,  the  orchids,  the 
groves  of  bananas,  and  the  little  brown  natives  we  see 
everywhere,  we  might  imagine  ourselves  in  one  of  the 
cities  of  Holland. 

And  so  we  are !  Batavia  represents  Holland.  It  is  the 
capital  of  the  Dutch  East  Indies,  a  territory  about  sixty 
times  as  large  as  Holland  itself.  Away  out  here  near  the 
Equator  the   Dutch 


government  has  built 
up  a  town,  almost 
European,  which  is 
largely  inhabited  by 
Dutch  officials  and 
merchants,  and  from 
here  the  vast  popu- 
lation of  this  East 
Indian  empire  is 
governed. 


Sado. 


We  reach  Batavia  by  train,  for  it  lies  a  few  miles  back 
from  the  sea.     At  the  station  we  take  sados,  little  two- 

OUR   COLONIES —  I4 


230  THE  EAST   INDIES 

wheeled  vehicles  drawn  by  ponies,  and  ride  along  the 
canal  to  the  upper  j^art  of  the  city.  Our  brown-skinned, 
turbaned  drivers  sit  crosslegged  at  the  front,  and  we 
have  seats  behind  with  our  legs  hanging  down  over  the 
back,  so  that  we  get  good  views  as  we  dash  through  the 
city.  We  pass  many  little  stores  owned  by  Chinese  mer- 
chants, then  go  by  better  buildings,  and  at  last  reach 
Weltevreden  (wel'tr-vra-dm),  where  are  the  big  hotels  and 
where  the  most  of  the  officials  and  Dutch  merchants  have 
their  homes. 

How  beautiful  it  is !  The  houses  are  low,  white  struc- 
tures painted  to  represent  marble,  each  having  a  great 
veranda  upheld  by  Grecian  columns.  There  are  people 
sitting  on  the  verandas.  The  front  doors  are  open,  and 
we  can  see  that  the  rooms  are  wide,  airy,  and  comfortably 
furnished.  Nearly  every  house  has  a  garden  about  it. 
Here  the  drive  is  lined  with  royal  palms,  and  there  it  is 
shaded  by  trees  so  gigantic  and  beautiful  that  you  will  not 
see  their  like  outside  of  Java. 

There  is  a  store !  Great  plants  stand  on  its  porch  and 
in  the  garden  before  it.  Next  door  is  the  Hotel  des  Indes, 
a  vast  structure  in  the  shape  of  an  L  with  banyan  trees 
and  palm  trees  in  its  court.  We  pass  the  Royal  Museum 
and  its  bronze  elephant  given  by  the  king  of  Siam,  and 
drive  on  through  the  beautiful  parks  for  which  Batavia  is 
noted.  As  we  go,  we  see  that  the  city  has  electric  lights, 
street  cars,  and  all  other  modern  improvements.  There  is  a 
boy  crying  the  newspapers.  That  building  farther  on  is  a 
college;  we  are  again  in  a  land  of  telephones,  telegraphs, 
and  schools.  We  enter  the  stores.  They  have  all  sorts 
of  goods  such  as  are  kept  in  our  stores  at  home.     Most 


BATAN'IA,  THE   DUTCH    CAPITAL 


231 


uf  the  clerks  can  sjjcak  ]{iiglish  or  German,  and  we  have 
no  trouble  in  supplying  our  wants. 

Java  is  the  most  valuable  of  Holland's  possessions  in 
the  East  Indies.  The  Dutch  have  governed  it  since  the 
beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  under  them  it 
has  become  one  of  the  most  prosperous  countries  of  the 
world.     It  has  a  great  commerce.     Batavia,  where  we  now 


"Nearly  every  house  has  a  garden." 

are,  is  one  of  the  principal  ports,  and  Surabaya  in  eastern 
Java  is  another,  while  there  are  smaller  cities  on  the  north 
and  south  coast.  Surabaya  is  larger  than  Batavia,  its  trade 
being  with  Europe  and  Asia  and  all  the  islands  of  this 
archipelago. 

Java  is  very  thickly  populated.  It  is  only  a  little  larger 
than  Luzon,  but  it  has  more  than  thirty  million  in- 
habitants.    Of  these  all  are  Malayans,  witli  the  exception 

OUK    COLONIES —  14 


232 


IIIK    KASl    INDIES 


ol    a   lew  llutusaiul    l)uUli   and   sc\cral   hundred  thousand 
Chinese  who  have  come  here  to  trade. 

The  Dutch  manage  Java  through  the  natives.  The  chief 
officials,  including  the  governor  general  who  rules  all  the 
Dutch  islands  of  this  part  of  the  world,  are  Dutch  appointed 
by  the  queen  of  Holland.      The  smaller  offices  are  held 

by  natives,  who  have 
Dutch  oflficials  whom 
they  call  their  elder 
brothers,  to  advise  them 
and  tell  them  just  what 
they  must  do.  There  are 
twenty -two  residences 
or  states  in  Java,  each 
of  which  has  a  native 
governor,  with  one  of 
these  elder  brothers  to 
direct  him.  The  elder 
brother  will  not  permit 
the  natives  to  be  ill 
treated,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  sees  that  they 
pay  the  taxes  necessary 
for  the  support  of  the  government.  There  are  many 
native  under  oflficials,  who  are  also  helped  by  clerks  from 
Holland,  so  that  in  reality  the  whole  country  is  managed 
by  the  Hollanders,  although  the  natives  apparently  govern. 
This  is  so  not  only  in  Java,  but  in  most  of  the  Dutch 
East  Indies.  The  Dutch  have  a  large  army  to  enforce 
their  orders,  but  they  do  not  oppress  the  natives,  and  are 
doing  all  they  can  to  better  their  condition. 


Native 


THE  NATIVES   OF  JAVA  233 

We  take  the  train  at  Batavia,  and  in  a  short  time  reach 
Buitenzorg  (boi'trn-zorci),  where  the  governor  general 
Hves.  We  are  received  at  the  palace  and  are  shown 
through  the  grounds  about  it,  inthiding  the  botanical 
garden,  said  to  be  the  finest  of  the  whole  world.  The 
governor  general  has  a  salary  larger  than  that  of  our 
President.  He  lives  in  great  state,  and  he  often  has 
soldiers  with   him  when  he  goes  about  the  country. 

The  Dutch  think  it  necessary  to  impress  upon  the 
natives  that  they  are  very  rich  and  powerful  and  worthy 
of  being  their  rulers.  They  insist  on  the  natives  paying 
them  and  all  Europeans  proper  respect,  and  in  some  parts 
of  Java  we  shall  see  men,  women,  and  children  squatting 
down  on  the  road  as  we  pass,  and  holding  up  their 
hands  toward  us  as  though  they  were  saying  their  prayers. 
This  was  the  way  the  lower  classes  treated  their  superiors 
when  the  Dutch  first  came,  and  it  is  thus  they  treat  the 
nobles  among  the  natives  to-day.  No  native  is  permitted 
to  smoke  in  the  presence  of  an  ofificial,  and  he  must  never 
come  before  one  with  his  head  uncovered.  He  must  use 
a  certain  humble  language  when  speaking  to  his  superiors, 
and  the  superior  has  also  a  special  language  for  servants. 


oJ«<c 


33.     THE    NATIVES    OF   JAVA 

LEAVING  Buitenzorg  we  cross  Java  by  railroad,  stop- 
i  ping  in  the  various  provinces,  visiting  the  cities,  and 
taking  long  drives  from  place  to  place  throughout  the 
country.  The  roads  are  excellent,  there  are  good  hotels 
in  the  towns,  and  we  have  no  trouble  in  making  our  way. 


234 


Tiiii  i:asi   im)1i:s 


Now  \vc  arc  entertained  at  one  of  the  lari;e  jilantations 
owned  l)y  the  l)iiteh,  and  now  we  sto])  at  a  native  village 
and  study  the  peojije  as  they  live  in  their  homes. 

The  eountry  is  much  like  the  Phihi^pines,  and  the  i)Co[)le 
are  in  some  respects  the  same.  They  live  in  villages 
shaded    with    palms    and   other    great    trees.     They   have 


"We  stop  at  a  native  village." 

gardens  and  flowers,  and  many  own  small  tracts  of  culti- 
vated land.  They  labor  in  gangs  and  walk  long  distances 
to  their  work.  We  see  them  marching  out  in  single  and 
double  file  in  the  morning  and  back  in  the  evening.  They 
are  sometimes  paid  a  share  of  the  crop. 

The  native  houses  are  huts  often  made  of  woven 
bamboo  thatched  with  ])alm  leaves.  The  walls  are  just 
like  basket  work,  made  in  great  sheets  which  arc  so  thin 
that  they  can  be  bent   like  the  cover  of  a  wagon.     They 


I 


THE   NATIVES   OF  JAVA 


235 


"They  cook  on  little  stoves  of  clay." 

are  thus  carried  from  one  place  to  another,  and  we  some- 
times see  a  wall  of  this  kind  apparently  moving  along  upon 
legs,  the  man  carrying  it  being  almost  concealed  within. 
The  walls  are  tied  to  a  framework  of  poles,  and  the  floor 
is  often  made  of  bamboo. 

The  people  sleep  on  low  beds  or  upon  the  floor.  They 
cook  on  little  stoves  of  clay  so  small  that  they  can  be 
easily  moved  from  place  to  place. 

Almost  every  farmer's  house  has  its  rice  granary  beside 
it,  and  its  rice  mortar,  where  the  women  pound  the  rice 
out  of  the  hulls  as  it  is  needed  by  the  family.  Many  huts 
have  pigeon  cotes  on  poles  beside  them,  and  pigeons  are 
to  be  seen  everywhere. 

The  richer  natives  and  the  nobles  have  larger  houses, 
some  living  in  buildings  of  stone  or  brick  like  the  Dutch. 
The   masses,    however,    are   exceedingly   poor.     They   are 


236 


TIIK    KASr    IXDIKS 


content  with  an  amount  cqnal  to  a  lew  of  our  cents  a  day, 
and  live  from  hand  to  moutli. 

How  queerly  they  dress  !  A  very  little  cloth  makes 
a  costume  for  a  man  or  woman.  The  ordinary  dress  is 
the  sarong,  a  long  strip  of  bright-colored  cotton,  which 
is  bound  tightly  about  the  waist,  and  in  the  case  of  the 
woman  falls  to  the  feet.  Above  this  is  another  piece  of 
cotton  wrapped  tightly  around  the  body  under  the  arms, 
leaving  the  shoulders  bare ;  and  sometimes  also  a  jacket. 
The  sarong  is  often  so  long  that  it  forms  the  only  article 

of  dress,  being  wound 
around  the  body  under 
the  arms  and  falling  to 
the  feet.  Very  few  of 
the  native  women  wear 
shoes  and  many  of  them 
go  bareheaded. 

The     Ja\'anese    man 
has  a  waistcloth   much 
like    the    woman's,    al- 
though    he     tucks     it 
under  Ills  legs  and  into 
the    belt    at   the    back. 
He  frequently  wears  a 
jacket,  and  on  his  head 
a    turban     not     unlike 
those  of  our  Moros. 
How  small    the  people    are!     The  men  are  not  much 
over  five  feet  high,  and  the  women  still  smaller.     They  are 
Malays,  having  yellow  or  light  brown  skins,  high  cheek 
bones,  and  eyes  a  trifle  aslant.     Their  lips  are  thicker  than 


Javanese  family. 


THE   NATIVES  OF  JAVA  237 

ours,  but  not  so  thick  as  those  of  the  negro.  They  are 
plump  and  well  formed,  having  slender  limbs,  small  wrists 
and  ankles,  and  long,  slender  fingers. 

They  are  a  kind  people,  full  of  good  nature  and 
laughter,  although  jealous,  revengeful,  and  apt  to  be 
treacherous.  They  are  very  polite  and  gladly  tell  us  all 
about  themselves  and  their  customs. 

We  learn  that  the  natives  are  divided  into  three  great 
races,  according  to  the  parts  of  Java  from  which  they 
come.  In  western  Java  are  the  Sudanese,  in  middle 
Java  and  in  a  large  part  of  the  east  the  Javanese  proper, 
and  in  eastern  Java  the  Madurese,  who  also  inhabit  the 
island  of  Madura.  Each  of  these  peoples  has  its  own 
language,  although  they  are  all  similar. 

The  natives  are  mostly  Mohammedans.  They  are  not 
very  strict  in  the  observance  of  their  religion,  although 
every  town  has  its  priests,  and  there  are  large  mosques  in 
some  of  the  cities. 

In  the  distant  past  Java  had  many  Hindus.  The  peo- 
ple worshiped  the  same  gods  that  are  now  worshiped 
in  Hindustan.  They  built  great  temples  as  did  also  the 
Buddhists,  another  religious  sect  which  was  once  strong 
in  Java.  One  of  the  greatest  ruins  of  the  world  is  that  of 
Borobodor,  situated  in  the  central  part  of  the  island.  It 
is  a  vast  monument,  rising  to  a  height  of  a  tall  church 
steeple  in  terraces  which  are  decorated  with  statues  and 
wonderful  carvings.  It  has  more  than  three  miles  of 
carved  figures,  some  no  larger  than  one's  finger,  and  some 
several  feet  in  height.  It  has  about  five  hundred  statues 
of  Buddha,  and  in  the  country  about  it  there  are  other 
statues  and  wonderful  ruins. 


238  THE   EAST   INDIES 

Wc  stoj)  often  to  visit  the  markets.  They  arc  found  in 
all  the  cities  and  villages,  and  arc  most  interesting  places. 
They  are  made  up  of  hundreds  of  little  stores  or  bazaars 
under  one  roof.  In  some  of  the  towns  they  are  held  in 
vast  sheds,  roofed  with  thin  brick  tiles,  green  with  the 
moss  of  old  age. 

We  spend  some  time  in  the  markets  of  Jokjokarta 
(j6k-yo-kar'ta),  wandering  about  through  the  many  acres 
of  little  stores  of  all  kinds.  Each  storeroom  is  a  jilatform 
upon  which  the  merchant,  usually  a  woman,  sits  sur- 
rounded by  goods.  One  part  of  the  market  is  devoted  to 
fruits  and  vegetables,  and  another  to  chickens  and  eggs; 
other  parts  have  only  dry  goods  and  notions,  while  others 
sell  hardware  and  jewelry,  and,  in  short,  everything  used 
by  the  natives. 

At  the  fowl  market  we  see  hundreds  of  pigeons  of  all 
colors,  selling  for  an  amount  equal  to  about  two  of  our 
cents  apiece.  The  women  dealers  have  little  wooden 
whistles  on  hand,  so  made  that  they  can  be  tied  to  the  tail 
feathers  of  the  birds.  When  so  adjusted  the  whistle 
makes  a  shrill  noise  as  the  pigeon  flies  through  the  air, 
and  thus  scares  off  the  hawks. 

We  visit  the  butcher  shops  where  the  women  are  selling 
meats,  drug  stores  where  they  offer  us  roots  and  leaves 
for  all  sorts  of  ailments,  including  pills  which  they  say 
will  cure  love-sickness,  and  make  those  who  eat  them  fall 
in  love  with  the  giver.  We  stop  at  the  tailor  shops  where 
men  and  women  sit  on  the  floor,  working  away  on  little 
hand  sewing  machines.  Here  is  a  girl  making  a  silk 
jacket.  She  sits  crosslegged  on  the  floor,  holding  her 
machine  Ijctween  her  bare  toes  as  she  works. 


THE  NATIVES   OF  JAVA 


239 


"  Let  us  move  on  to  the  fruit  stands." 

Let  US  move  on  to  the  fruit  stands  and  have  a  lunch 
of  some  of  the  things  for  which  Java  is  noted.  Do  you 
like  pineapples  .''  Here  is  a  girl  selling  some,  fresh  from  the 
field.  They  are  twice  as  big  as  our  pineapples,  and  so  ripe 
that  their  odor  fills  the  air.  We  buy  one  for  a  coin  worth 
two  of  our  cents,  and  eat  it  while  we  chat  through  the 
interpreter  with  the  women  merchants  about  us.  They 
see  we  are  strangers,  and  bring  up  one  fruit  after  another 
and  ask  us  to  taste  it.  We  sample  all  sorts  of  bananas 
and  oranges,  eat  a  slice  of  the  papaya,  a  large  fruit  like 
a  ripe  yellow  muskmelon  which  grows  on  a  tree,  and  re- 
joice in  the  mangosteens  which  look  like  dark  red  apples, 
but  which  are  white  as  snow  on  the  inside,  and  taste  some- 
what like  a  mixture  of  strawberries  and  ice  cream.  We 
arc  eating  mangosteens  when  a  niaiden  jiuts  under  our 
noses  a  durian  as  big  round  as  a  football.     It  smells  like 


240 


TIIK    EAST    INDIKS 


a  mixture  of  onions  and  very  old  cheese,  and  \vc  draw 
back  in  disgust.  .  Nevertheless,  this  fruit  is  much  prized 
by  the  natives,  and  by  such  foreigners  as  can  overcome 
their  dislike  for  its  disagreeable  odor.  The  Hesh  is  yellow, 
looking  somewhat  like  custard. 

Upon  leaving  we  ask  what  all  the  fruit  we  have  eaten 
has  cost,  and  hnd  it  only  a  very  few  cents.     We  have  no 

small  coins,  and  are  directed  to 
the  money  changers  or  women 
bankers  outside.  Each  sits  on 
a  platform  with  piles  of  pen- 
nies, half  pennies,  and  other 
co}il)er  and  silver  coins  before 
her,  changing  money  for  a  slight 
percentage  on  every  transaction. 
All  the  business  done  in  the 
market  is  in  a  small  way,  and 
many  purchases  amount  to  less 
than  a  cent  each.  One  does  not 
need  much  to  pay  for  a  meal, 
and  the  natives  require  but  little 
to  live. 

And  still  the  better  classes  of 
natives  spend  a  great  deal.  The 
sultan  of  Jokjokarta  has  a  whole 
city  surrounded  by  walls  just  op- 
posite this  market.  In  this  inclosure  he  has  his  palaces 
and  the  homes  of  the  peojjle  of  his  court,  the  stables  of 
his  many  fine  horses,  a  menagerie  of  tigers,  lions,  and  other 
wild  animals,  as  well  as  the  state  elei)hants  which  march 
in  his  royal  processions. 


'The  nobles  wear  a  curious  dr 


SOME    INDUSTRIES   OF   JAVA  24 1 

The  nobles  wear  a  eurious  dress,  eonsisting  chiefly  oi  a 
tall  cap  and  costly  sarong.  When  they  come  into  the 
presence  of  the  sultan,  they  must  wear  nothing  above  the 
waist  and  must  leave  their  swords  and  other  arms  outside. 
When  his  Majesty  walks  out,  a  great  golden  umbrella  is 
carried  over  him  to  shield  him  from  the  sun,  and  his  nobles 
come  behind  bearing  other  umbrellas,  forming  all  together 
a  gorgeous  procession.  At  such  times  the  common  people 
squat  down  and  hold  up  their  hands,  for  no  one  can  stand 
before  the  sultan  or  be  on  the  same  level  with  him.  This 
sultan  has  a  large  estate  of  his  own,  but  he  must  govern 
it  as  he  is  told  to  do  by  the  Dutch  resident  appointed  from 
Holland. 

It  is  the  same  with  the  sultan  of  Surakarta  (soo-ra- 
kiir'ta),  another  province  of  Java.  In  these  two  provinces 
the  people  live  much  as  they  did  when  the  Dutch  first 
took  possession  of  the  island,  but  in  the  other  provinces 
they  have  been  awarded  more  rights  and  are  more  directly 
ruled  by  the  Dutch. 

34.     SOME    INDUSTRIES   OF   JAVA 

THE  principal  products  of  Java  are  rice,  coffee,  sugar, 
indigo,  and  tea.  Rice  is  the  most  important,  for  it 
is  the  chief  food  of  the  people.  We  see  women  every- 
where hulling  it.  It  grows  on  every  hill  and  in  every 
valley,  and  vast  irrigation  works  have  been  constructed 
for  it,  making  a  large  part  of  Java  a  network  of  canals, 
some  as  large  as  rivers  and  some  as  small  as  the  tiniest 
brook.      The  people  are    everywhere  working   the  fields. 


242 


THE   EASr    INDIES 


llcic  ihc)'  arc  planliii^  rice,  wadiii;^  ihroiiL;!!  Uic  mud,  ami 
setting  out,  one  by  one,  the  stalks  which  ha\e  been  raised 
in  the  plant  beds.  The  next  field  may  have  men  harvest- 
ing the  crop,  for  rice  will  grow  at  almost  any  time  of  the 

year,  and  the  fresh 
sjM-outs  and  ripe  grain 
are  to  be  seen  side  by 
side. 

At  the  beginning  of 
the  rice  harvest  the  na- 
tives have  picnics  and 
feasts  in  honor  of  the 
occasion.  They  erect 
little  temples  to  the  god- 
dess of  the  harvest,  and 
jilace  offerings  of  eggs, 
fruit,  and  sugar  cane 
-We  see  women  hulling  rice."  within  them.     In  many 

of  the  fields  shelters  are  built  high  up  on  poles  for  the 
children  or  their  parents  to  watch  the  crop  and  scare  off 
the  birds.  Sometimes  strings  are  stretched  from  these 
places  to  different  parts  of  the  fields,  so  that  by  pulling  a 
string  a  boy  in  the  shelter  can  frighten  the  rice  birds  a 
long  distance  away. 

We  see  many  children  working  in  the  rice  fields.  Little 
girls  cut  and  plant  the  rice  side  by  side  with  their  parents. 
Water  buffaloes  are  used  for  plowing,  and  we  often  see 
naked  little  brown  boys  and  girls  riding  the  cowlike  beasts 
through  the  furrows  or  to  water. 

In  the  lowlands  of  central  and  eastern  Java  we  spend 
some  pleasant  days  on  the  great  sugar  plantations,  which 


SOME   INDUSTRIES  OF  JAVA 


243 


are  usually  owned  by  rich  men  from  Holland.  The 
planters  have  beautiful  homes,  and  they  live  like  lords  on 
their  estates,  employing  the  natives  to  do  the  work.  They 
have  sugar  mills  as  fine  as  those  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands, 
and  they  cultivate  their  fields  almost  as  well.  The  ground 
is  trenched  to  a  great  depth.  It  is  drained  and  irrigated 
and  made  just  right  for  sugar.  The  cane  grows  luxuriantly, 
forming  a  thicket  through  which  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
make  one's  way.  The  cane  is  full  of  juice,  and  so  sweet 
that  we  enjoy  sucking  the  stalks  whenever  we  are  thirsty 
rather  than  drink  the  water  which  is  often  none  too  clean. 

In  this  same  region 
are  indigo  farms  and  to- 
bacco plantations.  To- 
bacco is  raised  much  as 
at  home,  save  that  it  is 
dried  in  immense  sheds 
put  up  in  the  fields.  In- 
digo comes  from  a  plant 
which  looks  not  unlike 
our  ragweed,  but  which 
has  a  sap  filled  with 
coloring  matter.  The 
plants  are  raised  in  reg- 
ular rows  and  their 
leaves,  from  which   the 

best     indigo     comes,     are  "The  sugar  cane  grows  luxuriantly." 

picked  off  three  times  a  year.  The -leaves  are  put  into 
great  vats  of  water.  In  a  little  while  they  begin  to  fer- 
ment, and  after  a  time  the  coloring  matter  goes  out  of 
them  into  the  water.     This  mi.xturc  is  then  drawn  off  and 


244  THE  EAST  INDIES 

boiled  ill  a  certain  way,  so  that  what  is  left  turns  to  a 
paste  or  jjowder,  whicli  is  the  indigo  of  commerce.  Some- 
times powdered  chalk  is  added  to  the  juice,  thus  increasing 
the  product. 

Let  us  see  something  of  the  tea  and  coffee  plantations. 
Java  produces  both  of  these  articles  in  great  quantities,  and 
her  tea  plantations  are  among  the  largest  of  the  world. 
We  find  some  not  far  from  Batavia.  They  are  situated 
well  up  in  the  mountains,  under  the  shadow  of  volcanoes 
long  since  dead.  The  tea  plant  is  a  small  green  bush 
of  the  same  variety  as  the  camellia,  with  leaves  which 
look  like  those  of  the  willow  tree.  The  plants  are  raised 
from  seeds  in  nurseries,  and  when  they  are  eight  or  ten 
inches  high,  they  are  transplanted  in  ground  prepared  for 
the  purpose.  They  must  be  hoed  and  weeded,  and  in 
about  two  years  they  begin  to  produce  tea.  They  are  not 
full  grown  until  about  six  years,  after  which  they  will 
annually  produce  a  pound  of  tea  for  many  years.  They 
have  to  be  trimmed  and  well  cared  for.  The  leaves  are 
picked  several  times  a  year  ;  they  are  carried  to  the  fac- 
tories and  cured  in  such  a  way  that  they  form  the  rolled 
leaves  we  buy  in  the  stores. 

We  are  interested  in  watching  the  pickers.  Thousands 
of  little  brown  women  dressed  in  bright-colored  sarongs, 
which  leave  the  shoulders  and  arms  bare,  are  moving 
about  among  the  green  tea  bushes.  Here  they  are  bend- 
ing over  the  plants,  and  there  sitting  down  and  pulling  the 
leaves  and  laying  them  on  the  great  square  cloths  in  which 
later  they  will  bundle  them  up  and  carry  them  on  their 
heads  to  the  factories.  All  are  bareheaded  and  bare- 
footed.     The  sun  gilds  their  skins,  and  their  black  hair 


SOMli   INDUSTRIES   OF  JAVA 


245 


shines  like  jet.  Tiicy  are  of  all  ages,  some  young  and 
some  gray  haired.  They  are  not  pretty,  but  all  are  good 
natured  and  very  industrious. 

Here  comes  a  party  of  pickers  with  bundles  of  tea  on 
their  heads  on  their  way  to  the  factories.  We  follow  them, 
and  at  last  come  to  some  immense  one-story  buildings  with 
walls   of   woven    bamboo    and    roofs   of   galvanized    iron. 


Javanese  women  picking  tea. 

There  are  great  stone  courts  about  them  upon  which  in 
flat  baskets  tea  leaves  are  drying.  There  is  tea  drying  on 
the  stone  floors  inside  the  buildings,  where  are  also  great 
machines  for  rolling  the  leaves  and  preparing  them  for 
the  markets.  The  leaves  must  first  be  wilted  or  withered. 
They  are  then  put  in  rolling  machines,  and  when  they  come 
out,  each  leaf  looks  like  a  little  round  worm.  After  this 
they  are  fermented  and  dried  for  the  market. 


246  THE   EAST    INDIES 

Juv;i  cullcc  is  nolccl  .ill  over  ihc  uoiUl.  IL  brings  liigh 
prices  in  our  stores,  antl  wc  buy  vast  quantities  of  it  every 
year.  It  is  to  be  found  in  many  parts  of  the  island,  but  it 
thrives  best  on  the  lower  slopes  of  the  mountains.  We 
have  seen  coffee  growing  in  Hawaii  and  the  Philippines, 
and  we  find  the  trees  here  much  the  same  as  in  other  parts 
of  the  world.  The  variety  which  produces  the  best  Java 
coffee  is  the  descendant  of  plants  which  were  originally 
brought  here  from  Arabia.  The  trees  are  not  large,  and 
they  seldom  grow  more  than  fifteen  feet  high.  Their 
beans  are  noted  for  their  fine  flavor.  Of  late,  however, 
owing  to  a  disease,  many  of  these  trees  have  died  out, 
and  the  Javanese  have  been  raising  Liberian  coffee,  a 
more  hardy  plant  and  less  liable  to  the  blight,  as  the  dis- 
ease is  called.  Its  product  has  not  the  fine  flavor  of  the 
Arabian  coffee. 

We  enjoy  our  rides  through  the  mountains.  The  roads 
are  good,  and  the  vegetation  is  so  luxuriant  that  we  pass 
between  walls  of  green.  There  are  palm  trees  and  banana 
plants ;  there  are  immense  forest  trees  and  all  sorts  of 
winding  vines  which  climb  them  and  hang  from  their 
branches.  The  very  plants  seem  to  love  one  another. 
Some  trees  twist  themselves  about  their  fellows  and  grow- 
up  together.  Even  the  dead  branches  are  covered  with 
green.  They  are  clothed  with  moss  and  orchids,  the 
flowers  of  the  air  forming  a  winding  sheet  about  the  dead 
limbs.  There  are  orchids  everywhere,  and  such  orchids ! 
Here  one  has  wound  itself  about  a  branch  like  a  necklace, 
there  one  squats  like  an  opossum  at  the  root  of  a  limb, 
and  farther  out  are  masses  of  green  with  blossoms  of  many 
hues. 


SOME   INDUSTRIES   OF  JAVA 


247 


The  lorcsLs  arc  iiill  oi  birds  oL  bri-hL  colors.  Wc  sec 
many  monkeys,  some  big  and  some  little.  They  jump 
from  branch  to  branch,  and  from  tree  to  tree.  Some  of 
them  hang  from  the  limbs  by  their  long  tails,  and  some 
squat  in  the  forks  of  the  trees  or  creep  around  the  trunks, 
grinning  and  chattering  at  us  as  they  do  so. 


Stripping  cinchona  bark. 

Among  the  most  interesting  trees  are  those  in  the  quinine 
plantations.  The  drug  known  as  quinine  comes  from  the 
cinchona  tree;  it  is  especially  valuable  for  malarial  fevers 
and  other  diseases,  and  is  used  for  this  purpose  all  over 
the  world. 

The  cinchona  grew  originally  only  in  the  Andes  region 
of    South   America,    and    ff)r  many  years  the    cpiinine   of 

OUR   COLONIKS —  I  5 


248  THE    EASr    INDIES 

the  workl  ramc  lioiii  i;(ili\i,i  aiul  IV-m.  It  \v;is  iho  prod- 
uct of  the  wild  trees  of  the  forests,  the  bark  being  gathered 
by  Indians  for  the  white  merchants.  Some  years  ago 
the  Dutch  government  thought  the  tree  might  thrive  in 
Java  as  well,  and  they  sent  men  to  South  America  for 
seed,  which  were  planted  in  nurseries.  They  sprouted, 
and  from  them  came  the  trees  which  are  now  found  in 
many  parts  of  Java.  It  was  also  found  that  the  tree  pro- 
duced a  bark  quite  as  rich  in  quinine  as  the  South  Ameri- 
can tree.  To-day,  about  nine  tenths  of  all  the  Avorld's 
quinine  comes  from  Java,  and  more  is  being  produced 
every  year. 

It  is  on  the  mountain  slopes  about  three  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea  that  the  cinchona  trees  grow  best.  They 
are  set  out  close  together,  but  are  thinned  from  year  to 
year  as  they  grow,  the  bark,  root,  and  branches  of  the 
trees  taken  out  being  saved  for  quinine.  At  ten  years 
the  trees  are  full  grown,  and  at  this  time  the  bark  is  re- 
moved. It  is  dried  in  the  sun  and  then  sent  to  the 
factories,  where  it  is  ground  to  a  dust,  boiled  in  kerosene 
oil,  and  so  treated  with  acids  and  other  preparations 
that  it  comes  out  the  frosted  silver,  flaky  powder  known 
as  quinine,  ready  to  be  made  into  pills.  It  is  then  packed 
in  tins  and  shipped  to  New  York,  Amsterdam,  London, 
and  the  other  great  drug  markets  of  the  world.  The 
quinine  we  use  comes  from  Java.  We  have  some  now 
in  our  medicine  cases,  and  when  in  the  future  a  pill  or 
capsule  breaks  and  the  bitter  stuff  touches  our  tongues, 
we  shall  remember  that  it  tastes  much  like  the  red  bark 
of  this  tree  which  we  have  found  during  our  travels  in 
Java. 


SUMATRA  249 


35.    SUMATRA 

WE  have  left  Ratavia,  have  passed  through  the  Sunda 
Strait  at  the  western  end  of  Java,  and  are  now- 
steaming  along  the  southern  shores  of  the  great  island  of 
Sumatra  through  the  Indian  Ocean. 

How  hot  it  is  !  We  are  approaching  the  Equator,  and 
the  sun's  rays  fall  almost  perpendicularly  upon  the  wave- 
less  sea.  Just  now  no  air  is  stirring.  The  ocean  seems 
a  dead  mass  of  molten  glass  which,  reflecting  the  sun, 
burns  our  eyes  as  we  look  across  it  to  the  blue  hills  of 
the  mainland.  It  is  only  where  the  ship  cuts  it  that  the 
sea  is  in  motion.  Our  prow  pushes  it  aside  in  great 
steel-blue  waves  which  do  not  break  as  they  roll  out- 
ward, but  go  on  and  on,  communicating  their  motion  to 
the  dead  mass  beyond  until  they  are  lost  in  this  universe 
of  water.  At  the  stern  we  can  see  the  track  of  the 
steamer,  a  wide  pathway  of  wavelets  extending  behind 
us  as  far  as  our  eyes  can  reach. 

At  last  a  wind  springs  up.  It  is  rippling  the  glassy 
blue  and  painting  millions  of  dimples  upon  its  sapphire 
face.  It  cools  our  hot  cheeks  as  we  sit  in  our  steamer 
chairs  under  the  awnings  on  deck,  and  makes  Hfe  more 
worth  living.  That  wind  comes  from  the  mountains  of 
Sumatra,  the  mighty  chain  which  runs  along  through  the 
western  half  of  the  island  from  one  end  of  it  to  the 
other.  Many  of  its  peaks  are  more  than  two  miles  in 
height,  and,  although  they  are  almost  on  the  Equator, 
are   crowned  with   perpetual    snow. 

The  coast  is  low  and  covered  with  a  dense  vegetation. 


250  THE    EASr    IMUKS 

Cc)C(Kinut  trees  line  the  beach.  We  sec  thatched  huts 
built  high  upon  i)iles  along  the  shores,  and  now  and  then 
bigger  houses  with  curiously  shaped  roofs  farther  back 
among  the  trees.  VVe  sail  along  from  port  to  port,  calling 
at  the  cities  of  Telok  Ketong,  Benkulen  (ben-koo'len),  and 
Padang  (pa-dang')  on  the  west  coast,  and  then  go  clear 
around  the  island  to  visit  the  town  of  Medan  in  Deli 
(del'e)  on  the  other  side,  from  where  we  make  our  way 
down  into  the  Strait  of  Malacca  to  Singapore  to  get  a  ship 
for  Ceylon. 

Our  trip  about  Sumatra  takes  several  weeks.  The 
island  is  an  enormous  one.  With  the  e.xception  of 
Greenland,  Borneo,  New  Guinea,  and  Madagascar,  it  is 
the  largest  island  of  the  world.  It  is  longer  than 
the  distance  from  New  York  to  Chicago,  and  in  one 
place  its  width  is  as  great  as  the  distance  from  Wash- 
ington to  Albany.  It  is  more  than  three  times  as  large 
as  Java,  and  is  of  the  same  volcanic  nature.  Much 
of  the  western  part  is  broken  by  lofty  peaks,  while  op- 
posite Singapore  and  farther  east  is  a  vast  plain  which 
is  under  water  during  part  of  the  year.  This  is  so  of 
Lampong,  the  province  nearest  Java,  the  word  "  Lam- 
pong  "  meaning  bobbing  about  in   the  water. 

Other  parts  of  Sumatra  are  made  up  of  valleys  and 
tablelands,  some  covered  with  forest,  and  others  with 
tall,  coarse  grass.  The  vegetation  is  much  the  same  as 
that  of  Java,  save  that  the  forests  are  denser  and  more 
bound  together  with  rattans  and  other  climbing  plants. 
There  are  orchids  everywhere,  and  many  trees  which 
bear  beautiful   flowers. 

We  shall   see   monkeys  in  all   parts  of  the  island,  and 


suM.vrRA  251 

wc  arc  told  ihaL  tlicrc  arc  wikl  tlogs  and  wiKl  slicc[),  laijirs 
and  tigers,  elephants  and  rhinoceroses.  The  rhinoceros 
lives  on  the  vegetation  of  the  marshy  jungles  along  the 
coast.  It  is  very  fierce  when  brought  to  bay,  and  can 
easily  impale  a  horse  on  one  of  the  two  great  horns 
which  it  has  just  over  its  nose.  Its  skin  is  so  thick  that 
the  ordinary  bullet  has  no  effect  upon  it,  and  especially 
prepared  balls  are  used  for  hunting  it.  The  best  place 
to  aim  is  just  behind  the  shoulders,  as  by  this  means 
you  may  reach  the  animaFs  lungs  which,  if  penetrated, 
cause  it  to  bleed  inwardly  and  die. 

We  see  natives  at  the  ports  and  on  our  trips  through 
the  interior.  Sumatra  is  thinly  populated.  It  has  only 
about  one  eighth  as  many  inhabitants  as  Java,  or  about 
three  millions  in  all.  The  people  are  largely  Malayans, 
but  they  are  more  fierce  than  the  Javanese  and  more 
difficult  to  control.  There  are  many  tribes,  each  ruled 
by  its  native  sultan,  rajah,  or  prince,  under  the  governor 
general  of  the  Dutch  officials  sent  out  from  Holland  to 
act  as  elder  brothers  to  the  native  rulers,  and  in  some 
places  there  is  so  much  rebellion  that  a  large  Dutch  army 
is  kept  always  on  hand. 

This  is  especially  so  in  the  province  of  Acheen  (a-chen'), 
at  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the  island.  Acheen  is 
as  large  as  West  Virginia.  It  was  one  of  the  first  parts 
of  Sumatra  visited  by  white  men ;  Marco  Polo  called 
there  in  1291,  and  Queen  Elizabeth  of  England  made  a 
treaty  with  its  sultan.  The  Acheenese  have  been  fight- 
ing foreigners  for  hundreds  of  years.  They  are  Malays, 
who  believe  in  the  Mohammedan  religion  which  tells 
them  they  will  go  straight  to  heaven  if  they  die    killing 


252  THE   EAST   INDIES 

Chiistians.  I^vory  num  anion;^^  llieni  is  a  soklior,  and 
every  village  lias  its  company  ready  for  service  in  time 
of  war. 

Acheen  is  rich  in  gold  and  silver,  and  in  its  production 
of  tobacco,  spices,  coffee,  and  ])ci)[:)er.  The  Acheenese 
have  cultivated  farms.  They  are  somewhat  skilled  in 
mining  and  manufacturing,  weaving  cotton  and  other 
stuffs,  and  they  make  beautiful  articles  out  of  gold  and 
silver. 

Just  south  of  Acheen,  and  in  central  Sumatra,  is  the 
country  of  the  Battaks,  a  nation  of  semisavages,  many 
of  whom  live  in  the  hills  and  on  the  plains  about  Lake 
Toba,  a  body  of  water  similar  to  Lake  Taal  in  Luzon. 
The  Battaks  are  taller  than  the  Javanese.  Their  skins 
are  darker  and  more  hairy.  Some  of  them  are  Moham- 
medans; but  in  out-of-the-way  places  many  are  pagans 
who  believe  in  three  deities, —  a  creator,  a  preserver,  and 
a  destroyer.  This  same  belief  is  held  by  the  Hindus, 
and  it  may  have  come  from  India,  for  Hindus  are  sup- 
posed to  have  emigrated  to  Sumatra  and  mixed  with  the 
Battaks. 

The  Battaks  are  good  people.  They  have  little  farms 
upon  which  they  raise  rice,  corn,  and  vegetables.  They 
rear  stock,  and  have  large  pastures  and  feeding  grounds. 
They  make  jewelry  and  arms  which  are  beautifully  carved. 
They  weave  and  dye  cotton,  and  all  together  have  many 
civilized  ways. 

In  all  parts  of  Sumatra  the  people  live  in  villages, 
and  their  houses  are  everywhere  more  picturesque  than 
any  we  have  seen  since  our  stay  in  New  Guinea.  The 
houses  have  walls  and   timbers  wonderfully  carved.      In 


SUMATRA 


253 


some  villagevS  they  are  built  high  up  on  posts  with  ridge 
roofs  ending  in  sharp  horns,  covered  with  tin  or  laced 
about  with  the  fibers  of  palm  trees.  As  the  children  are 
married  new  additions  are  built,  each  having  its  horn,  so 
that  you  can  often  tell  the  number  of  families  in  the 
house  by  the  number  of  horns   on  the  roof.      The  roofs 


A  village  in  Sumatra. 

are   thatched  with   palm   leaves  beautifully  laid,  and   the 
houses  all  together  are  queer  in  the  extreme. 

In  many  of  the  villages  there  are  club  houses  or  balis 
where  the  people  meet  together  to  do  business  and  enjoy 
themselves,  and  where  travelers  and  visitors  are  enter- 
tained. There  peddlers  come  to  show  their  goods,  there 
dances  are  held,  and  there  weddings  and  funerals  are  cele- 
brated.    The    club    houses    are    larger  than   the  ordinary 


254 


Till".    KAST    INDIKS 


houses.     They  arc  built  hit;h  up  from  the  ground,  and  one 
must  climb  a  ladder  or  stairs  to  get  in. 

The  natives  dress  differently  in  different  parts  of 
Sumatra.  It  is  so  hot  in  some  regions  that  the  men 
wear  little  clothing  except  something  about  the  loins,  and 

the  children  nothing  at  all. 
The  women  everywhere  are 
fond  of  jewelry.  They  have 
gold  and  silver  buckles  to  up-' 
hold  their  skirts  or  sarongs. 
They  wear  massive  rings  of 
gold  and  silver  around  their 
necks,  and  thick  rings  of  a 
peculiar  shape  in  their  ears. 
They  have  rings  not  only  in 
the  lobe  of  the  ear,  but  also  in 
the  rim,  and  these  arc  some- 
times so  heavy  that  they  have 
to  be  tied  to  the  hair  to  keep 
them  from  breaking  the  ear.  The  richer  girls  have  sarongs 
of  silk  interwoven  with  gold  and  silver  thread,  and  deco- 
rated with  small  coins.  Some  have  brea.stplates  of  silver 
dollars,  and  necklaces  of  gold  and  silver.  Among  the 
poorer  women  brass,  glass,  or  shells  often  take  the  place 
of  the  precious  metals. 

Sumatra  is  a  very  rich  island,  but  parts  of  it  are  so 
unhealthful  and  marshy  that  they  can  not  be  cultivated. 
In  the  Lampong  region  and  elsewhere  coffee  is  produced 
equal  to  the  best  raised  on  the  island  of  Java.  The  larger 
plantations  belong  to  the  IJutch,  and  they  are  managed 
in  the  same  way  as  those  of  the  Javanese. 


'  They  wear  thick  rings  In  their  ears." 


SUMATRA  255 

We  sec  rice  fields  nearly  everywhere,  and  learn  that 
rice  is  the  chief  food  of  the  people.  Many  of  the 
houses  have  rich  granaries  beside  them  in  which  the 
crop  is  stored  in  the  sheaves  and   hulled  out  as  needed. 

Sago  is  also  made  in  Sumatra.  It  comes  from  the 
sago  palm,  whose  pith  contains  a  starch  good  for  food. 
The  tree  is  cut  down  and  the  pith  taken  out  and  beaten 
to  a  dust.  It  is  then  put  into  a  trough  through  which 
water  is  flowing,  and  rubbed  to  and  fro  in  the  hands 
until  the  woody  fiber  comes  off  and  the  sago  sinks  to 
the  bottom  in  small,  white  grains.  After  this  the  sago 
is  dried,  when  it  is  ready  for  use.  Much  of  our  sago 
comes  from  this  part  of  the  world.  Most  of  us  have 
eaten  it  in  puddings  and  desserts. 

Sumatra  is  noted  for  its  tobacco  and  spices.  Tobacco 
grows  well  almost  everywhere  on  the  island,  but  there  is 
one  region  in  the  northwestern  part,  known  as  Delli,  where 
the  tobacco  leaves  are  so  fine  and  silky  that  they  are  in 
great  demand  all  over  the  world  as  wrappers  for  cigars.  A 
great  business  has  grown  up  in  raising  these  wrappers. 
The  owners  of  the  plantations  are  chiefly  rich  men  from 
Holland,  who  have  imported  Javanese,  Chinese,  and  East 
Indians  to  work  their  tobacco  plantations. 

We  saw  tobacco  fields  during  our  visit  to  the  town  of 
Medan,  the  chief  port  for  Deli,  and  learned  there  how  the 
crop  is  raised.  The  seed  is  sown  in  beds  and  later  on  the 
sprouts  are  transplanted  in  the  fields.  They  grow  rapidly, 
and  at  last  reach  the  height  of  a  man,  when  they  are  cut 
down.  The  leaves  are  then  taken  off  and  cured  for  export 
to  all  parts  of  the  world. 

There  is  one  thinjj"  from   Smuatra  ol  u  hich  we  all  eat 


2  56  THE   EAST   INDIES 

more  or  less  every  day.  Can  )()U  guess  what  it  is  ?  It  is 
something  we  put  in  our  food  to  season  it ;  something  that 
can  be  found  in  every  kitchen  at  home.  It  is  pepper.  It 
is  produced  in  large  quantities  in  Lampong  and  in  north- 
western Sumatra,  where  there  is  a  region  known  as  the 
Pepper  Coast.  Sumatra  has  been  growing  pepper  for 
centuries,  and  it  now  supplies  about  two  thirds  of  all  the  " 
pepper  used  by  man,  exporting  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
pounds  every  year. 

Pepper  as  it  comes  on  our  tables  is  usually  ground  to 
a  black  or  grayish  white  powder.  It  is  sold  in  this 
shape  in  the  grocery  stores,  or  it  can  be  had  in  little  dried 
balls  which  look  not  unlike  black  pills.  These  balls  are 
the  dried  berries  of  the  pepper  plant,  a  climbing  bush 
which  when  full  grown  is  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  high. 
The  plants  are  set  out  in  cuttings  so  near  together  that 
twenty-five  hundred  can  be  grown  on  one  acre.  They  are 
carefully  cared  for,  and  in  three  years  begin  to  bear  fruit. 
At  five  years  of  age  they  are  full  grown,  after  which  they 
will  produce  fruit  for  ten  or  fifteen  years  more.  Each  vine 
produces  a  pound  and  a  half  or  two  pounds  of  pepper 
annuallv.  There  are  two  crops  each  year,  one  of  which 
is  gathered  in  January  and  the  other  in  July  or  August. 

The  berries  are  first  green,  then  red,  and  then  yellow. 
When  yellow,  they  are  ripe.  They  are  picked  as  they 
begin  to  ripen  and  laid  out  upon  mats  in  the  sun  to  dry. 
As  they  dry  they  turn  black  and  are  then  the  black 
pepper  of  commerce.  White  pepper  is  made  by  washing 
off  the  pulp  of  the  ripe  berry,  leaving  only  the  stone.  This 
is  of  a  pale  gray  or  drab  color,  and  it  is  known  as  white 
pejjper. 


SINGAPORE  257 


36.     SINGAPORE 

WE  have  come  from  Sumatra  to  Singapore (sTn-ga-por') 
in  the  Strait  of  Malacca.  We  are  on  a  little  island 
not  far  from  the  Equator,  just  off  the  southeastern  end  of 
the  Asiatic  continent,  and  so  close  to  it  that  we  could  cross 
to  the  mainland  in  less  than  an  hour.  Singapore  is  so 
small  that  its  size  alone  would  hardly  give  it  a  place  on  the 
map,  but  its  location  is  such  that  it  has  a  greater  trade  than 
Sumatra  and  other  islands  several  hundred  times  as  large. 

We  have  seen  the  value  of  our  Samoan  Islands,  because 
they  lie  at  just  the  place  where  ships  can  stop  on  their 
long  voyage  to  and  from  Australia  and  North  America, 
and  also  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  because  they  are  at  the 
crossing  of  the  ocean  highways  between  our  continent  and 
Australia  and  of  those  which  connect  us  with  Japan,  China, 
and  the  Philippines.  It  is  the  same  with  Singapore.  It  is 
one  of  the  great  ocean  stations  on  the  route  from  Europe 
by  the  Suez  Canal  and  the  Indian  Ocean  to  China  and 
Japan  and  the  other  countries  on  the  east  coast  of  Asia. 
It  is  the  port  of  call  for  vessels  bound  for  the  Dutch  East 
Indies  and  the  Philippines,  and  a  great  transshipping  place 
for  goods  destined  for  Burma,  Siam,  and  the  islands  about. 
All  vessels  going  from  India  to  China  call  here,  and  also 
some  from  Australia  and  Africa. 

Singapore  belongs  to  the  English.  They  have  made  it 
a  free  port,  so  that  no  duties  are  charged  on  any  goods 
coming  in.  This  fact,  added  to  its  location  and  its  excel- 
lent harbor,  has  made  it  the  business  center  of  this  part  of 
the  world. 


258  TilK    KASl     IN'IUKS 

W'Ikmi  llu'  I'.iiijisli  liMik  possession  ol  Ihc  island,  early 
in  the  last  century,  it  was  a  troi)ical  jungle  inhabited  by 
savage  Malays  and  infested  with  tigers  and  poisonous 
snakes.  Now  much  of  it  is  as  well  cultivated  as  Java.  It 
has  beautiful  roads  and  many  valuable  pepper,  sugar, 
coffee,  and  sago  plantations.  The  jungle  has  been  cut 
away  and  a  city  of  more  than  three  hundred  thousand  peo- 
ple has  grown  up  about  the  harbor.  Fifty  lines  of  steam- 
ships now  connect  it  with  different  parts  of  the  world, 
more  than  one  thousand  vessels  visit  it  every  month,  and 
several  miles  of  wharves  have  been  constructed  for  them. 

The  commerce  of  Singapore  amounts  to  several  hundred 
million  dollars  a  year,  and  great  hotels  have  grown  up 
to  accommodate  the  traffic.  The  city  has  large  stores, 
banks,  and  fine  public  buildings.  It  has  newspapers,  tele- 
phones, and  electric  lights,  and  were  it  not  for  the  tropical 
vegetation  and  the  odd-looking  Asiatic  inhabitants,  we 
might  imagine  ourselves  in  one  of  the  great  seaports  of 
Europe. 

The  peo])le  of  Singapore  are  stranger  than  any  we  have 
yet  seen.  They  are  of  all  races,  classes,  and  conditions. 
There  are  about  6000  Europeans  who  are  dressed  as  we 
are,  and  more  than  250,000  people  from  Asia  and  Malaysia, 
clad  in  all  sorts  of  outlandish  costumes.  There  arc  150,000 
yellow  Chinese,  thousands  of  black  East  Indians,  thousands 
of  brown  Malays  much  like  the  natives  of  Java  and  Sumatra, 
and  a  large  number  of  yellow  Siamese,  Burmese,  and  dark- 
skinned  Dyaks  from  Borneo.  There  are  fierce-looking  men 
from  Arabia  in  turbans  and  gowns,  sober-iooking  Parsees 
from  Bombay  with  hats  like  inverted  coal  scuttles,  dapper 
young  Japanese,  and  also  Armenians  and  Jews.     Each  race 


SINGAPORE 


259 


has  its  own  costume,  and  \vc  are   lost  in  wonder  at  the 
strange  sights  of  the  streets. 

Suppose  we  take  a  jinriksha  and,  starting  at  the  wharves, 
drive  about  them  and  then  go  up  to  the  city.  What  a 
curious  way  of  riding !  We  each  have  a  httle  carriage 
on    two    wheels    pulled    by    a    barelegged,     blue-gowned 


"  What  a  curious  way  of  riding  !  " 

Chinese,  who  trots  along  inside  the  shafts.  The  car- 
riage is  just  large  enough  for  one  or  two  persons.  It 
has  good  springs,  and  we  ride  as  easily  as  though  it  were 
drawn  by  a  horse  instead  of  a  man.  We  touch  our  human 
steeds  with  our  umbrellas  when  we  want  th<im  to  stop,  and 
now  and  then  poke  them  to  make  them  go  faster.  The 
charge  is  only  a  few  cents  an  hour,  and  we  can  ride  all  day 
for  less  than  a  dollar. 


260  THE   EAST   INDIES 

Wc  pay  a  visit  t(i  the  wharves,  and  spend  some  time 
watching  the  great  steamers  being  loaded  and  unloaded  by 
the  Chinese  and  East  Indian  laborers.  The  East  Indians 
have  little  more  than  one  cloth  about  their  heads  and  an- 
other about  their  loins,  and  we  can  see  the  sweat  stand  out 
upon  their  black  skins  as  they  work.  The  Chinese  arc 
almost  as  scantily  clad.  Some  of  them  are  bare  to  the 
waist. 

Here  is  a  ship  taking  on  coal.  It  has  come  from  Cal- 
cutta and  is  on  its  way  to  Hongkong.  A  platform  has  been 
built  up  from  the  wharf  to  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  and 
a  score  of  Chinese  are  working  in  couples.  Each  couple 
has  a  great  bag  of  coal  hung  to  the  center  of  a  pole  which 
rests  on  their  bare  shoulders,  and  they  trot  along,  without 
bending,  from  the  warehouse  to  the  steamer.  That  coal 
came  from  England.  It  has  traveled  thousands  of  miles 
from  its  home  in  the  earth  to  this  ocean  station  to  feed 
that   Indian   steamer  trading  with   China. 

The  vessel  just  beyond  is  unloading  bars  of  iron  from 
Belgium.  They  are  taken  by  black-skinned  Klings  in 
carts  up  the  wharves  to  a  ship  bound  for  Sumatra.  The 
carts  are  drawn  by  bullocks  with  straight  horns  and  big 
humps  on  their  backs.  They  are  of  the  same  breed  as  the 
sacred  bulls  of  India,  but  in  Singapore  they  must  work  for 
their  living  instead  of  being  worshiped  as  in  Hindustan. 
Their  drivers  have  red  turbans,  and  white  cloths  about 
the  loins. 

Notice,  too,  how  commerce  brings  things  from  all  parts 
of  the  world  to  its  great  exchanging  stations.  There  are 
goods  of  all  kinds  scattered  over  these  wharves.  We  see 
a    box    of    electric    arc    lamps    from    New    York    marked 


SINGAPORE  261 

Bangkok,  Siam ;  suj^ar  machinery  from  Germany  marked 
Batavia,  Java;  and  bales  of  cotton  from  Bombay  for  Deli, 
Sumatra ;  cases  of  goods  from  Paris  for  Cochin  China  ;  and 
porcelain  from  Japan  for  Rangoon,  in  Burma. 

There  are  all  sorts  of  merchandise  from  the  islands  and 
countries  of  the  far  East  destined  for  Europe.  There  is  a 
vessel  unloading  pearl  shells  to  be  transshipped  to  London. 
Those  great  bundles  of  rattan  have  come  from  Borneo  ;  that 
coffee  is  from  Sumatra,  as  are  also  those  huge  bags  of  black 
pepper.  A  boat  full  of  rice  from  Siam  is  just  coming  to 
anchor,  and  a  vessel  behind  it  has  the  flag  of  Japan  floating 
over  it. 

But  see,  there  is  Old  Glory !  The  stars  and  stripes,  the 
red,  white,  and  blue  !  They  are  at  the  mast  of  a  magnifi- 
cent gunboat.  We  wave  our  handkerchiefs  and  burst  into 
cheers.  That  is  one  of  our  men-of-war  on  its  way  to  the 
Philippines.  It  came  from  New  York  through  the  Strait 
of  Gibraltar,  crossed  the  Mediterranean,  passed  through 
the  Suez  Canal,  and  over  the  Indian  Ocean  to  Singapore. 
It  will  stay  but  a  day  and  will  then  steam  on  to  Manila. 

Let  us  tell  our  coolies  to  turn  their  jinrikshas  and  take  us 
into  the  city.  The  roads  are  as  hard  and  as  smooth  as 
stone  floors,  and  the  men  go  on  the  trot.  They  dart  in  and 
out  of  the  throng  of  carts,  drawn  by  humped  Indian  cattle 
and  driven  by  Klihgs,  carriages  hauled  by  horses  imported 
from  Australia  with  coachmen  in  livery,  English  officers 
on  foot  and  on  horseback,  and  the  many  other  strange 
characters  which  inhabit  the  city. 

We  pass  Kling  women,  as  black  as  our  shoes,  clad  in 
white  cottons  and  red  calicoes,  but  blazing  with  jewels. 
They    have   bracelets   on    their    arms,    rings   about    their 


262 


tup:    east   INDIES 


.'luklcs,  and  e\cii  riiiL;.s  on  their  lues.  Many  wear  car- 
rings,  aiul  .some  ha\e  buttons  throu^li  the  rims  of  their  ears 
as  well  as  plu^s  in  the  lobes.  We  sec  Malay  women  who 
half  hide  their  faces  as  they  pass,  and  rich  Chinese  girls 
dressed  in  silk,  and  loaded  with  jewels. 


A  family  of  Klings. 

At  every  corner  stands  a  tall  Sikh  policeman  with  a 
red  turban  on  his  head,  which  makes  him  look  taller  still. 
There  are  Indian  merchants  with  caps  embroidered  with 
gold,  Chinese  merchants  in  gowns  of  fine  silk,  and  rich 
Malays  wearing  skirts  of  red  and  caps  of  bright-colored 
velvet.  There  are  children  as  queerly  clad  as  their  jiarents, 
and  not  a  few  little  ones  who  have  no  clothes  at  all. 

We  stop  at  the  post  office  to  mail    letters  home.     We 


SINGAPORE 


263 


"111" 


Sikh  policeman. 


go  Oil  to  the  stores  and  arc  glad  to  find  that  even  the  native 
clerks  speak  linglish.  The  most  of  the  retail  business  is 
done  by  the  Chinese,  v^ho  have 
many  small  shops.  The  Chi- 
nese are  also  large  capitalists, 
doing  business  of  every  descrip- 
tion. 

Later  on  we  drive  out  into 
the  country,  passing  the  great 
house  of  the  governor  who  rules 
not  only  Singapore,  but  several 
other  English  colonies  which 
make  up  what  is  known  as  the 
Straits  Settlements.  The  gov- 
ernor is  appointed  by  the  king 
of  England.  He  has  a  house  finer  than  the  White  House 
at  Washington,  situated  on  a  hill  surrounded  by  magnifi- 
cent grounds  of  a  velvety  green  dotted  with  tropical  trees 
and  beautiful  flowers. 

Farther  on  are  the  barracks  where  the  soldiers  who  keep 
the  colony  in  order  live.  From  there  we  go  for  a  long 
drive  into  the  country.  Everywhere  the  roads  are  lined 
with  great  trees ;  giant  bamboos  hang  over  them,  there  are 
palms  of  many  kinds,  and  all  together  we  seem  to  be  in  a 
tropical  park  save  where  the  jungle  is  yet  unreclaimed. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  island  from  Singapore  city 
we  take  a  little  boat  and  cross  to  Johore  on  the  mainland, 
merely  to  say  we  have  set  foot  upon  Asia,  and  then 
return  to  drive  back  to  our  hotel.  Our  journey  has  taken 
all  day,  and  it  is  dark  long  before  we  reach  Singapore.  We 
go  rapidly,  holding  our  guns  on  our  knees  for  fear  of  the 

OUK    CULUNIES 16 


264  CEYLON 

tigers  which  arc  so  i'rcquciUly  fouiul  in  the  jungle  that  it 
is  nut  at  all  safe  to  be  out  in  the  wilds  alter  dark. 

It  takes  us  some  time  to  decide  where  to  go  next.  We 
might  visit  the  Nicobar  Islands,  a  little  group  belonging  to 
Great  Britain  northwest  of  Sumatra,  inhabited  by  Malays 
who  devote  themselves  chiefly  to  raising  cocoanuts.  Or 
we  might  go  on  farther  north  to  the  Andamans,  which  ar: 
also  under  the  British  flag,  where  the  natives  are  much  the 
same  as  the  Negritos  we  saw  in  the  Philippines,  and  where 
the  British  have  colonies  of  convicts.  Neither  group,  how- 
ever, is  of  much  importance,  and  we  shall  proceed  to 
Ceylon.  There  is  a  steamer  in  the  harbor  ready  to  start, 
and  within  a  short  time  we  are  well  on  the  way. 


37.     CEYLON 

WE  have  been  five  days  on  the  Indian  Ocean,  sailing 
through  summer  seas,  and  are  now  in  the  harbor  of 
Colombo  surrounded  by  ships  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 
There  is  a  steamer  coming  in  from  Calcutta,  and  we  have 
just  passed  one  bound  for  Sydney,  Australia.  Our  own  < 
vessel  is  a  Japanese  shij)  which  we  got  at  Singapore,  and 
in  the  harbor  are  steamers  from  Africa  and  different  parts 
of  Asia. 

Ceylon  is  another  great  oceanic  crossroads  station,  and 
we  are  now  in  its  chief  port.  It  is  a  beautiful  island.  We 
can  see  the  cocoanut  palms  lining  the  coast  and  the  great 
mountains  far  behind  them.  Ceylon  has  plains  at  the  north 
and  around  the  coast,  but  in  the  interior  the  mountains  rise 
to  a  height  of  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half  above  the  level 


I 


CEYLON 


265 


of  the  sea,  and  they  arc  so  beautiful  that  Ceylon  is  called 
the  "Pearl  of  the  Eastern  Seas." 

The  Arabs  had  several  traditions  concerning  it.  One 
was  that  Ceylon  was  the  site  of  the  Garden  of  Eden,  and 
another  that  it  was  here  Adam  fell  when  he  was  cast  out 
of  the  garden.  The 
mountain  upon  which 
he  dropped  is  still 
known  as  Adam's 
Peak,  and  a  httle 
temple  has  been  built 
upon  it  in  which  the 
Buddhists  worship  to- 
day. According  to  one 
story,  Adam  walked 
from  Ceylon  to  the 
mainland  of  Asia  on 
the  reef  of  coral  and 
sand  bank  which  con- 
nects the  island  with 
Hindustan.  This  reef 
is  still  known  as  Ad- 
am's Bridge.  These 
stories  are  only  tra- 
dition,  but  nevertheless  it  is  interesting  to   know   them. 

Ceylon  has  the  shape  of  a  pear  with  its  stem  toward 
India.  It  is  about  as  large  as  the  state  of  Indiana ;  it  is 
270  miles  long,  and  about  140  miles  from  coast  to  coast  at 
its  widest  part.  Its  soil  is  everywhere  rich.  In  the  south- 
west are  groves  of  cinnamon  trees,  in  the  interior  cacao, 
coffee,  and  tea  plantations,  and  about  the  coast  miles  and 


i66 


CF.YJ.ON 


miles  of  cocoanut  and  other  palms.  Off  the  coast  arc  pearl 
fisheries,  and  in  the  mountains  valual^le  minerals  and  also 
rubies,  sapphires,  garnets,  cat's-cycs,  and  other  precious 
stones.  In  fact,  the  j)ear  has  so  many  rich  things  in  it 
that  it  makes  us  think  of  the  apples  of  gold  in  the  Garden 
of  Hesperides. 


Adam's  Peak. 

This  beautiful  island  was  taken  by  the  Portuguese  about 
thirteen  years  after  Columbus  discovered  America.  In 
the  middle  of  the  next  century  it  came  into  the  hands  of 
the  Dutch,  and  later  into  the  hands  of  the  British  who 
now  govern  it,  sending  out  rulers  from  England. 

The  country  is  (lixidrd  into  nine  provinces.  It  has  a 
large  poi)uIation,  composed  of  Cingalese,  a  ligiit  brown 
peo})le  who  came  across  from  India ;  of  Tamils,  another 


CEYLON 


267 


Indian  people  who  arc  darker;  of  Malays,  not  unlike  those 
we  have  seen  farther  east;  and  also  of  Chinese,  Arabs,  and 
Mohammedans  called  Moormen. 

The  Cingalese  are  Ikiddhists,  and  there  are  many 
Buddhist  priests  whom  we  shall  know  by  their  yellow 
robes,  which  they  drape  so  as  to  expose  the  right  shoulder. 
They  shave  their  heads  and  frequently  go  about  with 
begging  bowls  in  their  hands,  asking  every  one  for  some- 
thing to  eat  or  a  gift  for  the  church.  The  Cingalese  wear 
tortoise-shell  combs  in  their  jet-black  hair. 

We  have  now  left  the  ship  and  are  making  our  way 
through  Colombo.  The  city  is  well  laid  out  with  large 
public  buildings.  The  crowd  on 
the  street  reminds  us  of  Singa- 
pore, although  it  is,  if  anything, 
wilder  and  more  strange.  Those 
men  with  the  dark  coats  or 
jackets,  over  petticoats  of  white 
cotton,  are  Cingalese.  You  can 
see  the  tortoise-shell  combs  on 
their  heads.  Some  of  them  part 
their  hair  in  the  middle  and  put 
it  up  in  a  sort  of  knot  at  the  back. 
Were  it  not  for  their  beards, 
we  might  think  them  women.  Cingalese  man. 

The  Cingalese  women  wear  plaid  skirts,  and  loose,  white 
jackets  ;  they  tie  their  hair  in  a  knot  at  the  back,  and  many 
go  bareheaded.  Nearly  all  are  barefooted,  and  some  of 
them  have  their  feet  covered  with  jewelry.  They  have 
anklets  and  toe  rings,  and  often  the  whole  foot  is  decorated 
with  chains  of  silver  and  gold.     They  have  rings  on  their 


268 


CEYLON 


fingers,  about  their  necks,  and  in  their  ears,  and  also 
buttons  and  rings  in  their  noses. 

Suppose  we  take  a  ride  in  one  of  the  bullock  carts  which 
we  see  dashing  about.  The  cattle  are  like  those  of  Singa- 
pore, but  in  Ceylon  they  are  used  for  carriages  as  well  as 
for  drays.     We  make  a  bargain  with  a  half-naked,  black 

driver,  and  he  keeps  his  bullock 
in  a  fast  trot  upon  the  prom- 
ise of  a  small  e.xtra  fare.  He 
takes  us  to  the  Cinnamon  Gar- 
dens, where  we  see  the  museum, 
and  then  into  Queen  Street, 
past  the  governor's  palace.  We 
drive  out  through  the  country, 
hurrying  under  the  palm  trees, 
which  hang  over  the  roads  for 
fear  that  a  ripe  cocoanut  may 
drop  on  our  carriage  as  we 
ingaesegir.  drivc   by.     We    pass   beautiful 

villas,  and  see  mahogany  trees,  bamboos,  gutta-percha  trees, 
and  old  banyans,  which  cover  the  ground  like  gigantic 
umbrellas.  We  next  drive  along  the  harbor  to  watch  the 
brown-skinned  fishermen  sailing  about  in  their  catamarans, 
long,  narrow,  canoelike  boats  with  square  sails  and  with 
logs  fastened  outside  them  to  keep  them  from  tipping  over 
and  throwing  the  men  into  the  water. 

The  following  day  we  take  the  railroad  train  to  Kandy, 
in  the  mountains,  seventy-four  miles  from  Colombo.  The 
ride  is  a  beautiful  one.  The  train  climbs  the  hills  through 
terraces  of  rice  fields,  through  jungle  and  forests  ablaze 
with  orchids,  and   lands   us    in    a    cool,  quiet  nest  in  the 


CEYLON  269 

mountains.  It  was  hot  at  Colombo,  notwithstanding  the 
sea  breezes,  for  Ceylon  is  not  far  from  the  Equator,  and 
we  enjoy  the  bracing  air  of  the  hills.  We  remain  a  few 
days  visiting  the  temples  and  the  botanical  garden  for 
which  Kandy  is  noted,  and  then  make  trips  here  and  there 
over  the  island  before  we  go  back  to  Colombo. 

Ceylon  produces  a  great  deal  of  tea,  coffee,  cacao,  and 
rubber.  The  rubber  comes  from  trees  grown  in  planta- 
tions, and  it  is  exported  by  the  millions  of  pounds  to  Europe 
and  the  United  States.  The  plantations  are  owned  chiefly 
by  people  from  Great  Britain,  who  employ  the  Cingalese  to 
cultivate  them,  using  the  Tamils  for  the  harder  kinds  of 
labor. 

The  cocoanut  estates  are  especially  interesting,  not  only 
from  the  vast  amount  of  copra  produced,  but  from  the 
uses  which  the  natives  make  of  the  tree  and  its  nuts.  The 
tree  forms  the  building  material  for  their  huts,  including 
the  roofs.  From  the  bark  and  leaves  they  make  sheds, 
fans,  and  matting,  and  from  the  fiber,  fishing  nets,  ropes, 
and  sails.  Some  of  the  natives  wear  clothing  made  of  the 
net  which  nature  weaves  about  the  roots  of  the  leaves. 
The  ripe  fruit  when  pressed  gives  them  oil  for  their  lamps 
and  for  cooking,  and  they  also  use  it  on  their  hair  and 
skins.  They  make  a  salad  of  the  young  leaves,  they  drink 
the  milk  of  the  green  nut,  and  use  the  meat  of  the  ripe  nut 
ior  food.  They  make  a  medicine  from  the  flower,  and 
sugar  and  wine  from  the  sap.  The  shells  are  used  for 
drinking  cups,  spoons,  and  bottles,  and  the  trunk  of  the 
tree,  hollowed  out,  forms  an  excellent  boat. 

Ceylon  has  orchards  of  cacao  trees  from  the  seeds  of 
which  chocolate  is  made,  and  also  cinnamon  trees  whose 


270 


CEYLON 


bark  we  use  so  largely  in  pickles,  candies,  and  desserts. 
The  cinnamon  tree  is  a  species  of  laurel,  with  leaves  of  a 
bright,  glossy  green,  and  bark  composed  of  thin,  separate 
layers,  containing  a  spicy  sap  very  pleasant  to  taste.  The 
outside  bark  is  rough  and  gray  and  the  inside  smooth 
and  reddish. 


A  country  road  near  Colombo. 

The  cinnamon  tree  as  it  grows  in  the  forest  is  as  large 
as  our  pear  tree,  but  the  cultivated  varieties  are  kept 
trimmed  down  to  about  eight  feet  in  height.  They  are 
planted  from  the  seeds  and  grow  rapidly,  sending  out 
strong  shoots  from  year  to  year.  The  more  the  trees  are 
trimmed  the  more  shoots  thcv  have,  and  it  is  from  them 
that  the  cinnamon  bark  of  commerce  comes.  When  the 
shoots  grow  to  the  length  of  an  ordinary  cane,  they  arq  cut 


MAURITIUS   AND    REUNION  2/1 

off  and  stripped  of  their  bark.  The  bark  is  dried  in  the 
sun,  and  then  packed  up  in  bundles,  to  be  exported  to 
Europe  and  other  parts  of  the  world.  Sometimes  it  is 
ground  and  sold  as  a  powder,  and  sometimes  an  oil  is  made 
from  it  which  is  used  for  medicinal  purposes. 


38.     MAURITIUS    AND    REUNION 

WE  are  again  on  the  Indian  Ocean,  steaming  along 
toward  the  great  island  of  Madagascar,  off  the  east 
coast  of  Africa.  Our  ship  is  an  English  vessel  from  Co- 
lombo, bound  for  Mauritius,  which  belongs  to  Great  Britain. 
The  weather  is  warm,  but  we  have  awnings  over  the  deck 
and  enjoy  a  stiff  breeze  most  of  the  way.  We  pass  the 
Maldive  Islands  shortly  after  leaving  Ceylon,  going  so  close 
to  them  that  we  can  see  the  cocoanut  trees  on  their  shores 
and  the  spray  of  the  waves  dashing  up  on  the  white  beach. 
The  Maldives  are  seventeen  atolls,  inhabited  by  a  small 
population  of  Mohammedan  Asiatics,  and  are  of  little  com- 
mercial importance.  They  are  ruled  by  a  sultan  under 
the  protection  of  Great  Britain.  Very  similar  to  them  are 
the  Lacadives,  other  atolls  almost  directly  north. 

Shortly  after  this  we  cross  the  Equator  and  go  on  to 
the  southwest,  between  the  Seychelles  (sa-chel')  and  the 
Chagos  Islands,  two  other  unimportant  groups  belonging 
to  the  English,  and  finally  come  to  anchor,  about  eight 
days  from  Ceylon,  in  front  of  Port  Louis,  the  caj)ital  of 
Mauritius. 

We  arc  on  the  western  side  of  the  island,   under    the 


272  MAURITIUS   AND    REUNION 

shadow  of  roui;"h,  nif;"<;ed  mountains,  at  the  wharves  of  a 
Httle  city  shaded  with  cocoanut,  nianj^o,  and  other  tropical 
trees.  The  vegetation  reminds  us  of  Ceylon.  There  are 
oranges  growing  in  the  gardens,  and  banana  plants  hang 
over  the  fences  and  whisper  a  welcome  as  we  walk  through 
the  streets. 

We  are  met  on  the  docks  by  a  motley  crowd  of  East 
Indians,  Arabs,  Chinese,  and  black-skinned  Africans,  some 
of  whom  offer  to  guide  us  about.  We  see  bags  of  sugar 
piled  up  on  the  wharves,  and  in  some  parts  of  the  town 
the  air  smells  like  new-made  molasses. 

Mauritius  is  famous  for  its  sugar.  It  was  little  more 
than  a  forest  when  it  came  into  the  hands  of  the  English 
about  a  century  ago,  but  they  have  turned  it  into  a  sugar 
plantation.  They  have  brought  laborers  from  India,  Africa, 
and  China  to  work  the  cane  fields,  and  millions  of  pounds 
of  unrefined  sugar  are  now  exported  every  year.  The 
island  is  only  about  one  fifth  as  large  as  Porto  Rico,  but 
it  is  thickly  settled  on  account  of  the  rich  soil.  It  has  more 
than  two  hundred  thousand  Hindus,  and  a  large  number  of 
Africans  and  natives  of  Madagascar.  Many  of  the  Hindus 
and  Chinese  have  saved  money  and  now  own  plantations 
themselves.  They  have  stores  in  Port  Louis,  and  much  of 
the  business  is  done  by  them. 

We  ride  out  on  the  railroads  which  lead  from  the  capital 
to  different  parts  of  the  island,  now  passing  through  a 
cocoanut  grove,  and  now  getting  a  glimpse  of  a  vanilla 
plantation.  Most  of  the  way  is  through  sugar  estates, 
where  dark-skinned  men  and  women  are  working  away 
plowing,  planting,  and  cutting  the  cane.  We  stop  at  a 
factory  to  see  the  juice  pressed  out  and  made  into  sugar, 


MAURITIUS   AND    REUNION 


273 


and  then  return  to  Port  Louis  just  in  time  to  catch  the 
boat  for  Reunion,  a  little  island  belonging  to  the  French, 
135  miles  away  and  not  far  out  of  our  route  to  Tamatave 
(ta-ma-tav'),  the  chief  port  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Mada- 
gascar. 


Port  Louis. 

Reunion  is  of  much  the  same  character  as  Mauritius, 
save  that  it  is  a  little  larger,  more  mountainous,  and  less 
fertile.  Its  chief  port  is  St.  Denis,  a  city  of  about  thirty 
thousand  people,  made  up  of  East  Indians  and  Africans, 
with  many  French  merchants  and  planters.  The  language 
is  French,  and  we  find  it  hard  to  make  ourselves  understood. 

We  take  trips  out  into  the  country,  visiting  the  sugar 
plantations  and  also  those  which  produce  coffee,  cacao, 
and  vanilla.  From  the  vanilla  plant  comes  the  extract 
which  we  use  for  flavoring  puddings,  cakes,  ice  creams, 
and  candies.  It  is  a  climbing  plant,  with  a  long,  fleshy, 
fruitlike  pod  from  which  the  extract  is  made.  The  plants 
are  grown  from  cuttings  set  out  in  the  shade.  They  are 
trained  upon  stakes  and    carefully  cared    for.     At    three 


274 


MAl)A(iAS(AR 


Vanilla  plantation. 

years  they  produce  fruit,  after  which  they  bear  for  many 
years.  We  walk  through  the  plantations  under  the  trees, 
now  and  then  pulling  off  a  pod  and  biting  into  it,  trying 
to  imagine  that  it  has  the  flavor  of  the  vanilla  ice  cream 
which  tastes  so  good  at  our  homes,  but  which,  alas  !  it  is 
impossible  to  get  away  out  here  in  this  hot  Indian  Ocean. 


o>>ic 


39.     MADAGASCAR  — THE   EAST   COAST 


IT  is  almost  four  hundred  miles  from  St.  Denis  to  Tama- 
tave.  The  voyage  takes  about  two  days  on  our  slow- 
going  steamer,  and  it  is  early  morning  when  the  cabin  boy 
tells  us  to  get  ujj,  for  we  are  in  sight  of  Madagascar.  We 
jump  from  our  beds  and  look  out  of  the  portholes.     Our 


THE   EAST   COAST  2/5 

vessel  is  sailing  along  a  low  coast,  densely  wooded,  and 
backed  by  high  mountains  covered  with  green  and  half 
hidden  in  low-hanging  clouds.  That  coast  is  a  part  of 
Madagascar,  an  island  almost  as  long  as  Sumatra  and  of 
the  same  general  shape,  although  wider. 

Madagascar  consists  of  two  great  natural  divisions :  an 
interior  plateau  rising  several  thousand  feet  above  the  sea, 
with  mountain  peaks,  some  of  which  are  almost  two  miles 
in  height,  extending  above  it ;  and  a  comparatively  level 
country  surrounding  the  highlands  and  sloping  down  to 
the  sea.  The  interior  plateau,  owing  to  its  altitude,  has  a 
good  climate ;  but  the  low  coast  lands  are  unhealthy  and 
malarious.  They  are  bordered  with  a  dense  belt  of  forest 
which  extends  far  up  the  slopes  of  the  plateau ;  and  upon 
the  plateau  itself  are  rolling  prairies  covered  with  grass 
and  spotted  with  farms.  The  island  is  rich.  Its  soil  is 
fertile,  and  its  mountains  have  deposits  of  gold,  copper, 
iron,  sulphur,  and  lead. 

We  are  now  about  halfway  down  the  eastern  coast, 
approaching  Tamatave,  its  principal  port.  Now  our 
steamer  turns  and  moves  slowly  in  toward  the  shore. 
We  pass  through  an  opening  in  the  coral  reef,  and  come 
to  anchor  at  a  long  pier  in  an  excellent  harbor  before  a 
town  unlike  any  we  have  yet  seen. 

There  are  cocoanut,  mango,  and  bamboo  trees  close  to 
the  beach,  and  back  of  it  is  a  city  of  one-storied  and  two- 
storied,  bright-colored  houses,  with  a  church  tower  or 
steeple  here  and  there  rising  above  it.  Off  at  one  side 
are  many  thatched  huts,  the  homes  of  the  natives,  and 
behind  are  cultivated  lands  extending  to  the  hills.  The 
town  is  low  and  sandy,  and  right  on  the  beach. 


44        Lonaitiiih-         46     Ea^t  from    48        GrcL-nwich       50 


THE   EAST   COAST 


277 


Boats  rowed  by  black-skinned  men  with  white  sheets 
wrapped  around  them  come  out  to  the  steamer  and  take 
us  ashore.  As  we  land,  other  white-gowned  men  lay  hold 
of  our  baggage,  and  carry  it  upon  their  shoulders  or 
their  heads  up  the  sandy  road  to  the  hotel.  The  way  is 
well  shaded  ;  it  is  Hned  with  little  peaked  roofed  houses 
with  gardens  about  them. 


Natives  of  Madagascar. 

The  street  is  crowded,  and  we  move  in  and  out  of  a 
throng  of  whites,  yellows,  browns,  and  blacks,  all  curiously 
clad.  The  whites  are  the  French  and  other  Europeans 
who  live  here  to  do  business  or  take  part  in  the  govern- 
ment ;  some  of  the  yellows  are  East  Indians  engaged  in 
trade  ;  and  the  browns  and  blacks  are  natives  of  Madagas- 
car, some  from  the  interior  and  some  from  along  the 
coast. 


278 


MADAGASCAR 


How  odd  tlicy  look  !  Many  have  woolly  hair  and  black 
skins,  and  arc  almost  negroes  in  features,  while  others  are 
brown,  and  more  like  the  Malays  or  East  Indians.  The 
blacks  are  Betsimisarakas  (bet-sim-is-a-ra'kas),  a  tribe  found 
along  the  east  coast;  the  others  are  Hovas,  a  more  civil- 
ized people  who  live  on  the  plateau  which  forms  the  most 
of  the  interior,  and  of  whom  we  shall  see  more  later  on. 


"  She  is  a  Hova  woman,  riding  in  a  filanzana." 

Notice  how  the  natives  are  dressed.  The  men  wear 
great  straw  hats,  and  they  have  white  cotton  cloths 
draped  about  their  dark  bodies,  leaving  the  legs  and  feet 
bare.  The  women  wear  high-waisted  gowns  of  bright- 
colored  calicoes,  which  make  them  look  tall.  They  are 
straight,  and  some  are  by  no  means  bad  looking.  How 
their  hair  shines  !  They  wear  no  hats,  and  their  hair  is 
put  up  in  little  braids  which  stand  out  all  over  their  heads, 


THE   HOVAS   AND   THE   CENTRAL    PLATEAU  279 

or  are  fastened  together  with  string.  They  grease  the 
hair  with  cocoanut  oil,  the  rancid  odor  of  which  is  borne 
by  the  wind  to  our  nostrils.  See  their  bare  feet !  That 
wide  space  between  the  first  and  second  toes  comes  from 
wearing  sandals. 

Some  of  the  people  are  squatting  on  the  streets  chatting ; 
others  are  moving  to  and  fro  carrying  burdens.  There 
comes  a  porter  bringing  hides  to  the  steamer.  The  hides 
are  hung  upon  a  pole  which  rests  on  his  shoulders.  Be- 
side him  walks  a  poor  woman  with  a  water  jar  on  her  head 
and  some  roots  in  her  hand.     Both  stop  as  we  pass  them. 

See  that  woman  coming  down  street  high  up  between 
poles  on  the  shoulders  of  men  !  She  is  a  Hova  woman, 
riding  in  a  filanzana,  the  cab  or  carriage  of  Madagascar. 
The  filanzana  is  merely  a  seat  with  a  leather  back,  and 
a  rest  for  the  feet,  swung  between  two  long  poles,  and 
fastened  to  them  by  bars  of  iron.  The  poles  are  borne 
by  men,  two  in  front  and  two  behind,  who  thus  carry 
travelers  through  the  streets  and  over  the  country.  Until 
very  recently  there  have  been  no  wagon  roads,  and  it  is  in 
filanzanas  that  we  shall  travel  through  some  parts  of  the 
interior. 

40.  THE  HOVAS  AND  THE  CENTRAL 
PLATEAU 

THE  port  of  Tamatave  where  we  now  are  is  the  chief 
gate  to  Madagascar.  It  is  regularly  visited  by  the 
steamers  of  several  French  shipping  companies,  and  occa- 
sionally by  boats  from  other  parts  of  the  world.  At  the 
extreme  northern  part  of  the  island  is  the  harbor  of  Diego- 


28o  MADACASCAR 

Suarez  (dc-a'go-sw;i'ras),  and  on  Ihc  western  side,  the 
port  of  Majunga  (nia-joon'i;a),  at  the  mouth  of  the  Betsi- 
boka  River,  from  where  we  sail  to  Zanzibar  after  crossing 
the  island. 

Much  of  Madagascar  is  so  wild  and  unexplored  that  the 
exact  population  is  not  known,  although  it  is  supposed  to 
be  about  three  or  four  millions.  Along  the  coast,  and 
north  of  where  we  are  now,  live  the  l^etsimisarakas  and 
other  tribes;  on  the  west  coast  are  the  Sakalavas  (sak-a- 
la'vas),  whose  ancestors  probably  came  across  Mozambique 
Channel  from  Africa  ;  while  on  the  plateau  to  the  south  are 
the  Baras  and  Betsileos,  who  are  also  of  African  descent. 

The  most  important  people  arc  the  Hovas,  in  the  central 
part  of  the  great  plateau,  who  number  at  least  one  third  oi 
the  whole  population.  They  have  brown  skins  and  straight 
or  wavy  hair  ;  they  look  not  unlike  Malays,  and  are  sup- 
posed to  be  the  descendants  of  Malays  who  emigrated  to 
Madagascar  centuries  ago. 

The  Hovas  were,  for  a  long  time,  the  ruling  race  of 
Madagascar.  Their  territory  was  large,  and  they  admin- 
istered it  in  a  semicivilized  way.  They  had  their  own 
monarchs,  and  held  more  or  less  intercourse  with  other 
jnations  of  the  world.  Within  the  past  few  years,  however, 
the  French,  who  have  long  laid  claim  to  Madagascar,  have 
taken  possession  of  the  island  and  subdued  the  natives, 
making  it  a  French  colony.  They  have  deposed  and  ban- 
ished the  queen  of  the  Hovas,  and  have  chosen  the  old 
Hova  capital,  Tananarivo  (ta-na-na-re'v6),  which  is  almost 
in  the  center  of  the  island,  as  their  seat  of  government. 

We  find  French  custom  officials  at  Tamatave,  and  learn 
that    there  are   French  soldiers  at  all  the  jwrts,  and  that 


THE    HOVAS   AND   TifE   CENTRAL    I'LAIEAU 


281 


the  Fiench  have  an  army  to  keep  the  country  in  order. 
Many  of  the  soldiers  are  natives,  who  evidently  feel  very 
important  as  they  march  about  with  guns  in  their  hands. 
They  are  dressed  in  zouave  uniforms,  and  their  black  skins 
and  bare  feet  stand  out  in  strange 
contrast  to  their  bright-colored  cloth- 
ing. They  are  said  to  be  good 
soldiers,  and  we  need  have  no  feai 
in  making  a  journey  across  Mada- 
gascar, by  way  of  the  capital, 
through  the  lands  of  the   Hovas. 

Tananarive  is  about  one  hundred 
miles  in  a  straight  line  from  Tama- 
tave,  and  the  railroad  to  it  runs  some 
distance  along  the   coast   and  then 
winds  its  way  up  the  hills.    We  travel 
more  slowly  in  order  that  we  may 
study  the  country  and  people.     We 
use    pousse-pousse    cars,    little    car- 
riages not  unlike  the  jinrikshas    of  Native  soldier. 
Japan.       Each  carriage  has  three  men  to  help  it  along, 
one  in  the  shafts  and  two  pushing  behind.     We  start  early 
in  the  morning  and  travel  for  miles  along  the  edge  of  th© 
sea,  finding  the  salt  air  very  refreshing. 

As  we  leave  Tamatave,  we  pass  men  and  women  com- 
ing into  the  city  to  market.  They  all  carry  umbrellas,  and 
many  of  them  look  gay  in  their  bright-colored  clothing. 
There  are  cocoanut  trees  here  and  there  along  the  road, 
and  when  we  become  tired,  we  sit  down  and  drink  the 
sweet  water  from  the  green  nuts  which  our  porters  get  by 
climbing  the  trees.  Now  and  then  we  see  other  species  of 
OUR  COLONIES — 17 


282 


MAr>A('..\S(\\R 


palms,  aiul  frct|iicnl]\-  the  iraxclcr's  palm.  This  is  a  tree 
like  a  j^reat  open  fan.  It  has  long  leaves  extending  out 
on  each  side  of  its  lean  trunk.  The  stems  of  the  leaves 
are  hollow  where  they  join  the  trunk,  and  they  form 
troughs,  as  it  were,  in  which  tlic  rain  water  collects  in 
such  quantities  that  one  can  always  have  a  drink  if  he 
,finds  such   a  tree.     We    prefer,  however,  to   quench   our 

thirst  from  the  water  in 
the  cocoanuts  and  from 
the  many  brooks  we 
cross  on  the  way. 

We  travel  rapidly, 
now  and  then  passing 
through  a  village  of 
thatched  huts,  consist- 
ing of  one  long  street 
shaded  by  mangoes, 
palms,  and  other  trees. 
The  huts  are  made  of 
the  traveler's  palm.  The 
leaves  form  the  roof, 
Travels,  s  palm.  and  the  walls  are  of  the 

leaves  sewed  to  a  pole  framework.  The  floor  is  made  of 
fthe  ribs  of  the  leaves,  and  it  is  raised  off  the  ground  by  a 
foundation  of  palm  trunks. 

The  houses  are  rude.  They  have  but  little  furniture, 
and  the  people  usually  sit  and  sleep  on  the  floor.  In 
one  corner  of  each  hut  is  a  fireplace,  a  bo.\  filled  with 
sand,  with  stones  so  laid  ui)on  it  that  they  raise  the  pans 
and  kettles  up  over  the  fire.  The  water  buckets  are  bam- 
boo logs  such  as  we  saw  in  the  Philippines,  the  ordinary 


THE  IIOVAS  AND  THE  CENTKAL  PLA'l'EAU 


283 


"We  stay  over  night  at  such  villages." 

bucket  being  as  big  around  as  a  man's  arm,  and  often  eight 
feet  in  length. 

We  stay  over  night  at  such  villages,  hiring  a  hut  or  so 
for  our  party.  We  sleep  on  the  floor,  rolling  up  our  coats 
for  pillows,  and  spreading  our  traveling  rugs  on  the 
rough  mats  to  make  our  beds  softer.  Nevertheless,  our 
sleep  is  not  sound.  The  floors  of  the  huts  are  several  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  the  fowls  and  dogs  are  kept  under 
the  houses.  We  hear  the  hens  cackling  and  clucking;  and 
the  roosters  crow  long  before  morning.  There  are  spiders 
and  lizards  crawling  about,  and  we  are  charged  to  walk 
carefully  in  our  bare  feet  lest  we  may  step  on  a  scorpion 
or  other  dangerous  insect.  The  first  part  of  the  night  the 
people  chatter  and  sing  in  the  neighboring  houses  and  also 
outside  in  the  streets.  They  stay  up  late,  making  up  for 
lost  sleep  by  resting  at  midday. 


2S4  MADAGASCAR 

As  we  ^o  farther  inland  and  climb  the  hills  to  the  pla- 
teau, we  pass  through  forests.  The  trees  are  tall  and 
bound  together  with  creepers  and  vines.  There  are  many 
tree  ferns  and  beautiful  orchids.  The  air  grows  cooler 
and  more  bracing  as  we  rise. 

We  wind  about  up  the  hills  through  valleys  covered  with 
rice  fields,  now  crossing  a  stream,  and  now  climbing  places 
so  steep  that  our  human  horses  ask  us  to  get  out  of  the 
carriages  and  walk. 

At  last  we  are  through  the  forest  and  on  the  plateau. 
We  travel  over  rolling  prairies  covered  with  grass  uj^on 
which  humped  cattle  arc  feeding.  We  pass  many  small 
farms  where  men  are  plowing  with  hunn)ed  oxen,  four 
oxen  often  being  hitched  to  one  plow.  We  finally  come 
to  a  hill  where  we  have  our  first  view  of  Tananarivo, 
the  capital  of  Madagascar.  The  city  is  situated  almost  a 
mile  above  sea  level  in  the  heart  of  this  mighty  plateau. 
tt  is  built  upon  the  top  and  sides  of  a  ridge  that  is  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  long,  and  nearly  five  hundred  feet  high. 
The  country  is  covered  with  rice  fields,  with  rich  pas- 
tures u])on  which  cattle  are  feeding,  and  with  corn  and 
other  crops.  There  are  many  villages  scattered  over  it, 
and  away  off  in  the  distance  is  Tananarivo  on  its  mighty 
hill. 

We  show  some  money  to  our  ])ousse-pousse  men,  and 
tell  them  to  hurry.  Thev  go  on  the  trot,  running  so  fast 
that  the  perspiration  stands  out  upon  their  black  skins.  As 
we  come  nearer,  the  town  takes  on  a  reddish  tint.  Many 
of  its  houses  are  of  red  brick  and  red  stucco,  which  give  it 
a  rose  color  under  the  strong  rays  of  this  far  southern 
sun. 


THE   IIOVAS  AND  THE  CENTRAL  PLATEAU 


285 


At  last  we  reach  the  edge  of  the  hill  and  cross  the  wide 
drive  which  has  been  made  about  it.  We  wind  our  way 
up  through  one  narrow  street  after  another,  finding  the 
city  less  beautiful  at  closer  view  than  it  was  in  the  dis- 
tance. Most  of  the  streets  are  narrow  with  innumerable 
alleys  crossing  them   in    every    direction.     Many    of   the 


In  Tananarive 


houses  have  mud  walls  about  them  ;  there  are  frequent 
gulleys,  and  all  together  the  town  looks  exceedingly  rough. 
And  still  Tananarivo  is  a  great  city  for  this  far-away 
island.  It  has  all  together  about  one  hundred  thousand 
people ;  it  has  many  comfortable  two-storied  houses  with 
porches  and  galleries  about  them,  and  some  fine  public 
buildings.  We  visit  the  old  palace  of  the  queen,  a  great 
stone  structure  with  galleries  on  all  sides  of  it,  and 
then   go  to  the   palace  of   the   French   governor  general 


286  m.\da(;ascar 

and  scvcial  other  ^•overniiient  buildings.  VVc  visit  the 
schools  and  spend  some  time  in  the  churches,  learning 
that  most  of  the  people  are  Christians,  and  that  missiona- 
ries have  long  been  at  work  among  them. 

Friday  is  the  great  maikct  day  when  the  natives  come 
in  from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  buy  and  sell.  We  go 
to  the  market  place  at  that  time.  It  is  filled  with  strange- 
looking  people  among  whom  are  some  of  the  uncivilized 
blacks,  the  Baras  and  Betsileos  from  the  soutli.  The  wares 
are  of  every  description,  including  beautiful  silks  and  cot- 
tons woven  in  Madagascar,  native  pottery,  and  all  sorts 
of  food  and  grains.  There  are  most  delicious  pineapples, 
bananas,  and  oranges,  and  bushels  of  peanuts  quite  as 
good  as  those  we  have  at  home. 

In  one  part  of  the  market  cattle  are  sold,  and  in  another 
hides.  We  learn  that  hides  are  among  the  chief  exports 
of  Madagascar,  and  that  some  are  shipped  from  here  to  the 
United  States.  We  see  the  queer-looking  natives  hand- 
ling the  skins,  and  wonder  as  we  do  so  whether  parts  of 
our  shoes  may  not  have  scampered  over  this  great  plateau 
on  the  back  of  a  humped  cow  like  the  ones  now  offered 
for  sale. 

The  workings  of  commerce  are  such  that  we  can  hardly 
tell  from  what  strange  parts  of  the  world  come  the  things 
we  eat  and  w^ear.  In  Reunion  we  saw  the  vanilla  which 
flavors  our  ice  cream  and  soda  water,  in  Sumatra  we  tasted 
the  pepper  which  seasons  our  food,  and  in  Australia 
watched  men  shearing  the  wool  which  may  possibly 
form  our  clothes  for  next  winter.  If  this  leather  under 
our  feet  could  talk,  it  might  tell  tales  of  the  .soil  we  are 
tramping    just   now ;    it    might   sing   a  song  of  a  South 


AMONG  THE   SAKALAVAS 


287 


American  republic,  or  possibly  describe  how  it  covered  a 
tenderloin  steak  which  once  galloped  over  a  Texas  prairie 
with  a  cowboy  behind  it.  If  all  things  about  us  could 
talk,  we  should  not  need  to  travel  to  learn  how  strange  the 
world  is. 

41.     AMONG   THE   SAKALAVAS 


LEAVING  Tananarivo,  we  make  our  way  in  filanzanas 
across  the  high  plains  to  the  western  edge  of  the 
plateau,  and  then  wind  in  and  out  down  the  hills  to  the 
sea.  Toward  the  end  of  our  journey  we  are  able  to  take 
boats  on  the  Betsiboka 
River,  and  after  a  little 
more  than  a  week  from 
our  starting  time,  we 
find  ourselves  in  Ma- 
junga,  the  thriving  sea- 
port of  the  northwestern 
coast. 

Our  journey  has  been 
a  hard  one,  and  by  no 
means  so  pleasant  as 
that  through  central  and 
eastern  Madagascar.  On 
the  plateau  we  had  to 
deal  with  the  Hovas  ; 
but  here  in  the  west  we 
are  among  the  Sakala- 
vas,  a  black  jieoplc  with 


Sakalavn  mon. 


3<S8 


MADAGASCAR 


foatuios  like  negroes,  more  fierce  and  less  civilized  than 
any  of  the  natives  we  have  yet  seen.  Some  of  the  men 
have  ornaments  on  their  foreheads. 
They  wear  white  cloths  about  their 
dark  forms,  and  their  woolly  hair  is 
done  lip  in  little  braids,  so  that  were 
it  not  for  their  beards  we  might 
think  them  women.  The  women 
also  have  curious  ways  of  dressing 
their  hair,  some  twisting  it  so  that 
it  stands  out  in  great  round  tassels 
on  all  sides  of  the  head.  Both  sexes 
are  fond  of  jewelry,  and  wear  all 
they  can  get. 

The  Sakalava  villages  are  ruder 
than  those  of  the  Hovas.     Some  of 
them  have  walls  about  them   with 
great  fences  of  cactus  outside,  and 
Sakalava  woman.  hcavy  gatcs  which  cau  bc  closed  at 

night  or  in  times  of  attack  by  hostile  tribes.  Many  of  the 
houses  are  mean  huts  of  mud  bricks.  There  are  pigs 
everywhere,  and  we  are  troubled  with  mosquitoes  and  all 
sorts  of  vermin.  On  our  way  we  pass  large  herds  of 
cattle.  Many  of  the  Sakalavas  are  farmers  and  stock 
breeders,  and  a  man's  wealth  is  estimated  by  the  number 
of  cattle  he  owns. 

We  go  through  a  belt  of  forest  on  our  way  down  from 
the  plateau,  and  at  night  hear  the  lemurs  howling  in  the 
woods.  The  lemur  is  found  in  most  parts  of  Madagascar. 
It  is  a  sort  of  half  ape  with  a  long  tail,  enormous  hands, 
and    a   head   not  unlike  that   of  a  cat.     There  are  tame 


ZANZIBAR   AND   OTHER   EAST   AFRICAN   ISLANDS       289 

lemurs  kept  as  pets  in  some  of  the  villages.  The  animals 
make  us  think  of  foxes  or  monkeys,  and  they  are  supposed 
to  belong  to  the  monkey  tribe.  Some  lemurs  are  white 
and  black,  some  have  white  fur  rings  about  their  black 
tails,  and  some  have  a  fringe  of  long  hair  around  the  face 
like  a  ruff.  They  are  a  night  animal,  prowling  about 
through  the  darkness  and  often  howling  in  concert  like 
cats.  They  are  rather  timid,  and  will  not  attack  man 
unless  brought  to  bay. 

42.     ZANZIBAR   AND    OTHER    EAST   AFRICAN 
ISLANDS 

OUR  trip  from  Majunga  to  Zanzibar  is  made  in  a 
French  trading  vessel  bound  there  for  a  cargo  of 
ivory.  We  first  sail  north,  passing  the  Comoro  Islands, 
belonging  to  France,  noted  for  their  sugar  and  vanilla 
plantations,  and  then  turning  west  go  northward  not 
far  from  the  African  shore,  and  skirt  the  lower  side  of 
the  island  of  Zanzibar,  finally  coming  to  anchor  in  front 
of  its  capital,  Zanzibar  City,  about  midway  up  the  west 
coast. 

The  island  of  Zanzibar  is  about  fifty  miles  long,  and  so 
narrow  that  one  could  walk  across  it  in  less  than  a  day. 
It  is  just  about  equally  distant  from  the  Suez  Canal,  India, 
and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  it  is  only  thirty  miles 
from  Africa,  having  a  favorable  situation  for  a  great  trad- 
ing place.  Just  opposite  on  the  mainland  is  the  town  of 
Bagamoyo,  whence  caravans  start  out  for  different  ])arts 
<)t    Afric:i,    and   wlicic  vast   (juantilics  of   native   products, 


290      ZAN/ir.AK   AND   OTHER    KAST   AFRICAN   ISLANDS 

including  ivory,  are  brought  for  shipment  to  lOurope  by 
way  of  Zanzibar.  Zanzibar  City  is  about  the  largest  town 
on  the  African  coast,  if  we  except  Alexandria  and  Tunis 
on  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  It  has  more  than  one  hundred 
thousand  people,  and,  though  ruled  by  a  sultan,  it  is  under 
the  protection  of  Great  Britain,  which  also  governs  the 
rich  little  island  of  Pemba  just  north  of  it,  and  Sokotra  still 
farther  north. 

In  the  harbor  we  find  numerous  ships,  and  also  many 
native  boats  which  are  engaged  in  carrying  goods  and  pas- 
sengers between  Zanzibar  and  the  mainland.  We  go  ashore 
and  take  one  of  the  black-faced  guides  with  us  for  a  stroll 
through  the  streets.  Many  of  the  buildings  are  white, 
made  of  brick  or  stone  covered  with  stucco.  Some  have 
roofs  of  galvanized  iron.  In  the  suburbs  are  many  thatched 
huts,  the  homes  of  the  poor. 

The  streets  are  very  narrow,  and  the  only  ways  of 
getting  about  are  on  foot,  in  chairs  carried  by  men,  or  on 
ponies.  We  go  on  foot,  pushing  along  in  and  out  of  a 
motley  crowd  of  people  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and 
especially  from  Africa.  There  are  black-skinned  men 
from  the  mainland  doing  all  sorts  of  work,  and  black 
boys  who  stare  at  us  as  we  ride  by.  There  are  Arabs 
in  turbans  and  gowns,  yellow  Parsees  with  high  hats,  and 
brown-skinned  Hindus  who  have  come  here  to  trade. 
Parts  of  the  city  given  up  to  the  Hindu  shops  make  us 
think  of  Ceylon,  and  the  market  with  its  great  throng 
of  blacks  reminds  us  of  Tananarivo. 

We  call  upon  the  sultan  at  his  palace,  and  then  spend 
some  time  in  going  from  one  store  to  another  buying 
curios    from    Africa    to    show    to  our    friends.     We  take 


ZANZIP.AR   AND    OTHER    EAST   AFRICAN    ISLANDS       29I 

carriages  and  drive  out  into  the  country  under  the  shadow 
of  sago  and  cocoanut  pahns  and  other  tropical  trees,  stop- 
ping now  and  then  to  eat  oranges  and  pineapples,  or  to 
have  a  drink  of  cocoanut  milk.  We  see  many  clove 
orchards  which  look  not  unlike  those  of  the  Moluccas, 
and  bite  into  one  of  the  flowers  to  see  if  the  green  cloves 
are  as  hot  as  the  dried. 

Coming  back  to  the  city,  we  find  men  loading  steamers 
with  cloves  and  also  bales  and  boxes  of  copra  from  the 
islands  about.  Others  are  shipping  tusks  of  ivory  brought 
in  by  the  caravans  from  interior  Africa  and  sent  across 
the  channel  for  export  to  Europe. 

The  tusks  are  just  as  they  were  when  torn  out  of  the 
heads  of  the  elephants,  only  rough,  dirty,  and  battered  by 
their  long  voyage  out  to  the  coast.  Some  are  eight  or  ten 
feet  long,  and  at  the  root  as  big  around  as  our  heads. 
They  are  hollow  far  up  from  the  roots,  but  nevertheless 
are  so  heavy  that  we  try  in  vain  to  lift  one.  They  are 
sold  by  weight,  and  a  single  tusk  will  often  bring  as  much 
as  five  hundred  dollars.  Most  of  the  ivory  is  taken  to 
Antwerp  and  Liverpool,  and  thence  sent  to  factories  where 
it  is  made  into  knife  handles,  buttons,  and  various  ornamen- 
tal articles. 

Zanzibar  is  a  regular  port  of  call  for  steamers  going  to 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  from  Europe  via  the  Suez  Canal. 
We  might  take  ship  for  the  north,  visiting  Pemba  and 
Sokotra.  They  are,  however,  of  but  little  importance,  so 
we  decide  to  sail  south  to  Cape  Town  and  thence  to  the 
islands  off  the  western  coast  of  Africa. 

Our  steamer  calls  at  Mozambique  on  the  way.  This 
island  is  close  to  the  African  shore,  and  is  important  only 


292  WEST   AlkH'AN    ISLANDS 

through  its  connection  with  the  lar.i;e  provinces  on  the 
continent  belonging  to  the  Portuguese.  The  Httle  island 
is  covered  with  houses,  most  of  the  buildings  being  old  and 
quaint.  It  gets  all  its  supplies  from  the  mainland  by  boats 
which  move  back  and  forth.  It  has  only  eight  thousand 
people  upon  it,  although  it  is  the  seat  of  government  for 
several  million  natives  who  live  across  the  channel  in 
Africa.  The  people  are  mostly  Africans  and  Asiatics, 
with  a  few  Portuguese.  Our  vessel  stays  but  a  few  hours, 
and  then  goes  on  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 


^^*Ic 


43.     WEST   AFRICAN    ISLANDS  — ST.    HELENA 

THERP2  are  four  principal  groups  of  islands  lying  off 
the  west  coast  of  Africa,  all  opposite  the  upper  half  of 
the  continent.  The  first  are  the  Azores  (a-z5rz'),  far  west 
of  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar  ;  next  are  the  Madeira  (ma-de'ra) 
Islands  to  the  southward  nearer  the  continent,  and  still 
farther  south  the  Canary  and  Cape  Verde  archipelagoes. 

West  of  the  southern  half  of  Africa  are  only  scattering 
islets ;  the  chief  of  which  are  several  belonging  to  Spain 
and  Portugal  in  the  Gulf  of  Guinea,  and  Ascension,  St. 
Helena,  and  Tristan  da  Cunha  far  out  from  the  coast  be- 
longing to  Great  Britain.  The  chief  of  the  islands  in  the 
Gulf  of  Guinea  is  Fernando  Po,  a  possession  of  Spain  which 
lies  just  opposite  the  German  colony  of  the  Kameruns. 
It  is  peopled  by  negroes.  Its  commerce  is  small,  its 
climate  is  unhealthful,  and,  as  it  is  far  out  of  our  course, 
we  shall  not  explore  it. 


ST.    HELENA 


293 


Tristan  da  Ciinha,  Ascension,  and  St.  Helena  are  of 
no  commercial  importance ;  nevertheless,  we  want  to  stop 
at  the  last-mentioned  island.  Why  ?  Because  it  was  for 
several  years  the  prison  cage  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  the 
famous  emperor  of  the  French.  He  had  at  one  time 
almost  conquered  Europe,  but  was  defeated  and  banished 
to  the  little  island  of  Elba  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 
.After  being  there  a  short  time  he  escaped,  and,  crossing 
to  France,  raised  another  army  and  fought  the  allied  forces 
of  Europe  at  the  battle  c; 
of  Waterloo.  Napoleon 
came  near  winning  in 
that  battle,  but  he  was 
finally  defeated  and 
again  taken  prisoner. 
The  English,  who  had 
most  to  do  with  his  de- 
feat, decided  that  they 
would    take     no     more 

risks    with    him     so    near  Napoleons  house,  St.   Helena. 

Europe,  so  they  carried  him  away  south  of  the  Equator  to 
this  rocky  island  thousands  of  miles  from  his  dear  Paris, 
twelve  hundred  miles  from  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  eight 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  from  Ascension,  the  nearest 
land.  They  stationed  soldiers  on  the  island  to  guard  him, 
and  although  he  was  given  a  house  and  all  comforts,  he 
was  kept  under  guard  until  he  died.  His  remains  were 
first  buried  on'  St.  Helena,  but  they  were  afterward  re- 
moved to  Paris  and  there  placed  in  a  magnificent  tomb. 

In  going  north  we  call  at  St.  Helena,  entering  the  harbor 
oi.  Jamestown.     We  climb  up  Ladder  Hill  at  the  back  ot 


294  WEST   AFRICAN    ISLANDS 

the  town,  and  oxer  Rupert  Hill  to  Longwood,  where  Napo- 
leon lived.  We  next  visit  the  Valley  of  the  Tomb  where 
he  was  buried,  and  then  return  to  our  ship.  St.  Helena 
is  a  volcanie  island,  roui^h  and  ra<;ged.  It  has  but  few 
people  and  is  inportant  only  as  a  stopping  ])lacc  for  some 
of  the  ships  whieh  sail  between  I'2ngiand  and  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope. 

44.  THK  CAPE  VERDE  AND  CANARY 
ARCHH^ELAGOES 

STEAMING  northward  we  toueh  at  the  island  of  Ascen- 
sion, noted  for  its  enormous  green  turtles,  some  of  which 
weigh  as  much  as  a  good-sized  Jersey  cow,  and  then  go  on 
north  to  the  Cape  Verde  Islands,  situated  several  hundred 
miles  west  of  Cape  Verde,  Africa,  from  which  they  are 
named. 

The  Cape  Verde  Islands  were  discovered  and  colonized 
by  the  Portuguese  in  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century, 
and  they  still  belong  to  them.  They  are  nine  or  ten  in 
number,  but  their  total  area  is  not  much  greater  than  the 
area  of  Rhode  Island.  They  are  of  volcanic  origin,  most 
of  them  being  made  up  of  high  mountains  covered  with 
lava.  Some  of  the  islands  are  all  rock ;  others  have 
patches  of  rice,  corn,  and  tobacco ;  cotton  and  indigo  grow 
wild  in  the  woods. 

Our  ship  stops  at  St.  Vincent,  coming  to  anchor  in  a 
little  bay  half  surrounded  by  volcanic  hills.  How  dry  and 
dreary  it  is  !  There  is  not  a  blade  of  gi^ass  to  be  seen, 
and  the  brown  lava  rocks  throw  back  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
making  it  hotter  than  ever.     St.  Vincent  has  no  water,  and 


THE  CAPE  VERDE  AND  CANARY  ARCHIPELAGOES   295 


its  vegetation  is  so  scanty  that  it  would  not  support  a  rab- 
bit, much  less  a  man.  Still  it  is  the  most  important  of  all 
these  islands,  and  we  see  why  when  we  notice  the  many 
ships  in  the  harbor  taking  on  coal.  St.  Vincent  is  a  great 
coaling  station  on  the  ocean  highway  to  South  Africa. 
Those  sheds  on  the  wharves  are  filled  with  coal  from  Car- 
diff, Wales,  and  that  town  back  of  them  is  occupied  chiefly 
,in  furnishing  coal  and  other  supplies  to  the  steamers. 
There  are  gangs  of  negroes  at  work  coaling  the  ships, 
and  we  can  hear  the  great  lumps 
as  they  rattle  down  into  the  hold 
of  our  ship. 

We  next  stop  at  the  Canary 
Islands,  opposite  Morocco.  The 
nearest  is  only  sixty-five  miles 
from  the  mainland,  and  they  lie 
right  in  the  track  of  ships  going 
from  Europe  to  South  Africa. 

The  Canaries  are  volcanic 
islands,  rising  steeply  out  of 
the  deep  waters  of  the  ocean. 
There  are  only  about  seven  of 
them  large  enough  to  be  consid-  Canary  isu  .  u-^  u^r 

ered  important  and  many  smaller  ones.  They  were  dis- 
covered by  an  Italian  from  Genoa,  the  same  city  from 
which  Columbus  came,  about  two  hundred  years  before 
the  latter  discovered  America.  They  afterward  became 
the  property  of  Spain,  and  are  now  ruled  as  one  of  the 
provinces  of  that  country.  The  original  inhabitants  were 
Africans,  but  they  have  long  since  disappeared,  and  now 
almost  all  the  people  are  Spaniards. 


290 


WKSr   AlKKAX    ISLANDS 


The  islands  lia\c  hiil  a  small  area,  in  all  not  nuieli  more 
than  two  thirds  that  ol  Porto  Rico,  and  their  population  is 
but  a  few  hundred  thousand.  They  are  very  beautiful,  and 
their  climate  is  so  mild  that  many  people  from  Kn<;land 
and  other  jiarts  of    luirope  visit   them  during  the  winter. 

One  of  the  most  striking  features  of  the  Canaries  is 
Mount  Teneriffe,   whose  snow-white  peak  more  than  two 


"One  ol  the  most  striking  features  of  the  Canaries  is  Mount  Teneriffe." 

miles  above  the  sea  is  visible  long  before  we  reach  the 
islands  themselves.  It  is  on  Teneriffe,  one  of  the  chief 
islands  of  the  group,  that  we  make  our  first  landing, 
anchoring  at  the  city  of  Santa  Cruz,  the  capital  of  the 
archipelago. 

We  seem  to  be  in  one  of  the  cities  of  old  Spain.  The 
houses  are  of  brick  and  stone  covered  with  stucco,  painted 
yellow,  blue,  and  other  bright  colors.     They  are  close  to 


THE  CAPE  VERDE   AND  CANARY  ARCIIIPELAGOES      297 

(.he  streets,  and  sonic  ol  thcni  surround  [)alios  or  court- 
yards, the  garden  often  being  in  the  center  of  the  house, 
with  rooms  all  around  it.  Some  buildings  have  towers  on 
their  roofs,  where  the  people  sit  in  the  evening  enjoying 
the  view.  We  stroll  about  the  narrow  streets,  spelling  out 
the  signs  over  the  stores,  and  take  a  drive  out  through  the 
suburbs  past  the  great  walled  ring  used  for  bull  fighting. 

The  Canaries  are  noted  for  their  wines  and  fruits.  We 
drive  over  roads  lined  with  vineyards  and  orange  orchards, 
the  rich  yellow  balls  peeping  at  us  out  of  the  trees.  We 
stop  at  one  place  and  buy  a  dozen  ripe,  juicy  oranges  for  a 
sum  equal  to  ten  cents  of  our  money.  They  are  more  deli- 
cious than  any  we  have  tasted  at  home,  as  they  come  fresh 
from  the  trees. 

Riding  back  we  go  along  hills  dotted  with  fine  resi- 
dences, gardens,  and  fields  of  rich  crops.  The  roads  are 
lined  with  cacti,  geraniums,  and  roses,  and  we  now  and 
then  see  a  patch  of  nopal  plants,  a  kind  of  cactus  which 
is  grown  to  feed  an  odd  little  insect  which  furnishes 
one  of  the  dyestuffs  of  commerce.  Have  you  ever  heard 
of  cochineal  ?  It  is  a  dye  of  the  most  brilliant  crimson, 
which  may  be  changed  by  chemicals  to  orange,  red,  and 
bright  scarlet.  The  dyestuff  is  made  from  the  dead  bodies 
of  the  cochineal  insects  which  feed  on  this  plant.  When 
the  plants  are  a  year  old,  some  of  the  little  insects  are 
placed  upon  them.  They  lay  their  eggs,  and  in  a  short 
time  the  leaves  are  covered  with  tiny  white  specks,  which 
if  touched  leave  a  bright  crimson  stain.  The  insects 
keep  on  growing  until  they  cover  the  plants  with  what 
seems  to  be  a  white  mold.  Soon  after  this  they  are 
scraped   off,   put   into   boiling   water,   and   dried   in   ovens 

OUR   COLONIES —  iS 


298  WEST   AFRICAN    ISLANDS 

or  on  hot  plates.  When  dried,  tlie\'  look  nuieh  like  grains 
of  buckwheat,  and  are  then  ready  to  be  shipped  to  dye 
factories  all  over  the  world. 

Returning  to  Santa  Cruz,  we  take  a  little  steamer  which 
makes  a  tour  of  the  islands,  spending  a  day  at  Las  Palmas, 
the  capital  of  the  Grand  Canary  from  which  the  archipel- 
ago gets  its  name.  The  island  is  famous  for  the  canary 
birds  which  originally  came  from  here  and  which  are  often 
found  wild.  We  take  donkeys  and  ride  about  through 
the  country,  enjoying  the  people,  who  are  very  polite.  The 
moment  we  enter  a  home  our  host  tells  us  the  house  is 
ours,  and  if  we  admire  anything,  he  at  once  asks  us  to 
accept  it  as  a  present,  knowing  very  well  that  we  shall 
refuse. 

45.     THE    MADEIRAS   AND   THE   AZORES 

LAS  PALMAS  has  frequent  ships  to  the  Madeiras,  and 
we  have  no  trouble  in  getting  a  vessel  which  takes  us 
northward  to  Funchal,  the  capital  on  the  island  of  Madeira, 
the  chief  of  the  group.  As  we  come  into  its  harbor,  we 
seem  to  be  entering  a  vast  amphitheater,  walled  with  hills, 
dotted  with  villas,  and  terraced  with  gardens,  orchards,  and 
vineyards. 

Many  little  boats,  manned  by  half-naked  boys,  put  out 
for  our  steamer  as  we  come  in,  and  the  little  ones  ask  us 
to  throw  money  into  the  water  and  let  them  dive  for  it. 
We  do  so,  and  they  leap  from  their  boats  into  the  sea,  fol- 
lowing the  coins  to  the  bottom,  and  coming  up  holding 
them  in  their  hands  or  teeth.  They  gasp  for  breath  a 
moment  or  two,  and  then  call  (nit  for  more. 


Tin:  madp:iras  and  the  azores 


299 


As  the  anchor  drops,  peddlers  swarm  on  the  boat,  offer- 
ing filigree  jewelry,  embroideries,  flowers  made  of  feathers, 
and  delicious  oranges,  bananas,  lemons,  pineapples,  and 
pears.  The  people  have  white  skins,  and  they  are  dressed  not 
unlike  Europeans.  They  are  Portuguese,  the  islands  being  a 
province  of  Portugal  which  owns  them  by  right  of  discovery 
and  colonization. 


"Little  boats,  manned  by  half-naked  boys." 

Going  ashore,  we  walk  up  the  cobblestone  street  to  the 
hotel,  and  later  go  out  into  the  country.  Much  of  our 
travel  is  upon  sledges  drawn  by  bullocks.  The  roads  are 
paved  with  smooth  cobbles,  and  the  sleds,  which  have 
greased  runners,  glide  easily  over  them.  PLach  team  has  a 
boy  who  goes  along  in  front,  and  a  man  who  walks  behind, 
jabbing  the  animals  with  a  goad  to  make  them  go  faster. 
Coming  down  the  hills  the  bullocks  are  sometimes  taken 
out,  and  the  runners  shoot  along  as   though   over  snow. 


300 


WEST  AFRICAN    ISLANDS 


Imagine  sliding  clown  hill  in  the  most  beautiful  May  or 
June  weather,  eating  oranges  as  you  go;  that  is  one  of  our 
experiences  in  Madeira. 

Funchal  is  like  a  city  of  Portugal.  Its  better  houses  are 
two,  three,  and  sometimes  more  stories  high.  The  windows 
along  the  streets  are  barred  like  a  jirison,  and  those  above 

have  little  balconies 
where  the  people  sit  in 
the  evening,  chatting 
and  enjoying  the  air. 
The  streets  are  narrow, 
and  the  cobblestones  are 
hard  to  our  feet.  People 
from  all  parts  of  Itu- 
rope  come  here  for  their 
health.  The  Madeiras 
have  about  the  finest  cli- 
mate of  the  world.  They 
are  also  famous  for 
their  wines  and  fruits. 
The  same  is  true  of 

Sliding  down  hill  in  summer.  the      AzOrCS      Or      Hawk 

Islands,  which  we  visit  before  going  east  to  the  Mediter- 
ranean Sea.  This  archipelago  is  a  little  volcanic  group 
of  nine  inhabited  islands,  having  less  land  than  a  single 
county  of  some  of  our  far  western  states,  but  a  soil  so 
good  for  oranges,  })ineapples,  and  grapes  that  it  supplies 
Europe  with  its  finest  tro])ical  fruits.  There  are  forty 
steamers  kept  busy  carrying  oranges  and  ])ineai)ples  from 
the  Azores  to  the  continent,  and  in  one  year  as  many  as 
fifty  million  oranges  have  been  shipped  to  England  alone. 


m 

'•'-•■s^^stei- 

s 

^^^^^^^^^^^^Bk.  ^1 

^B^j;    ' .  ' . 

Jj 

^^^H  v\  ^V 

f^^^  LJ  M 

1 

^BbB  v<    0^ml 

I^^H 

5^H 

N 

5!?J'^€»-3^^-^Sf7.^f^ 

i^^^^k 

i^^Bi 

^^^S 

hH 

THE    MADF.IRAS   AND   THE   AZORES  30I 

The  resin  ot  a  curious  tree,  callctl  ihe  draL^ou  Uee,  is  also 
an  article  of  export. 

The  Azores  are  about  as  far  from  Africa  as  Pitts- 
burg is  distant  from  the  Mississippi  River,  and  they 
are  almost  as  far  away  from  Portugal,  to  which  country 
they  belong.  They  rise  abruptly  out  of  the  ocean,  having 
been  forced  up  by  volcanic  eruption.  Some  of  them  are 
little  more  than  volcanoes,  and  one  has  a  crater  so  low 
that  the  water  has  rushed  in  and  formed  a  great  lake  into 
which  boats  go  through  a  break  in  the  brim.  Others  of 
the  volcanoes  are  high.  Mount  Pico,  the  highest  of  them, 
being  more  than  eight  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 

Our  steamer  from  Madeira  carries  us  over  sunny  seas. 
There  is  a  whale  spouting  at  the  right  of  the  ship,  and 
nearer  us  a  school  of  flying  fish  skimming  over  the  waves. 
Look!  One  has  jumped  high  up  and  fallen  on  the  deck 
of  our  steamer.  It  is  like  a  small  mackerel,  but  it  has 
winglike  fins  on  the  forward  part  of  its  body,  each  as  long 
as  one's  hand. 

We  see  Mount  Pico  before  we  come  in  sight  of  the 
re.st  of  the  Azores ;  they  appear  a  httle  later,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  sweet  smell  of  orange  blossoms  is  borne  to 
us  on  the  breeze.  As  we  approach  the  land,  we  can  see 
orchards  on  the  hill  with  windmills  waving  their  arms 
above  them,  and  below  the  scattering  white  villages  of  the 
shore. 

We  land  at  Ponta  Delgada,  the  chief  city  of  the  archi- 
pelago, on  the  island  of  San  Miguel  (san  me-gel'),  the  largest 
of  the  group,  and  make  our  way  up  the  street  to  the  hotel. 
What  a  curious  city !  The  buildings  are  of  all  the  colors 
of  the  rainbow.     The  houses  and  stores  are  painted  rose 


302  ISLANDS   f>F  THE   MEniTFRRANE.W   SEA 

pink,  sky  blue,  and  l)riL;hl  yellow.  I'hcrc  arc  many  white 
houses,  rctl  houses,  and  houses  of  brown,  gra)',  and  purple. 
The  buildings  are  close  to  the  sidewalks.  They  have  roofs 
of  red  tiles,  and  the  whole  city  is  a  patchwork  with  as 
many  colors  as  Joseph's  coat. 

The  natives  are  Portuguese,  not  unlike  those  of  Madeira, 
although  their  dress  is  very  different.  The  better  class 
women  wear  hoods  of  blue  broadcloth,  for  all  the  world 
like  gigantic  sunbonnets  with  capes  which  reach  almost  to 
the  feet.  Some  of  the  men  wear  high  hats  of  blue  cloth, 
and  they  have  large  capes  over  their  shoulders.  The 
poorer  women  have  shawls  or  handkerchiefs  about  their 
heads,  and  their  dresses  are  as  bright  colored  as  the  walls 
of  their  houses. 

We  take  donkeys  and  ride  about  through  the  towns. 
Donkeys  are  used  for  all  sorts  of  work.  They  carry  great 
loads  on  their  backs,  they  haul  carts,  and  are  also  the 
chief  riding  animals.  Each  of  us  has  a  donkey  boy  who 
runs  along  behind  with  a  long  stick  or  goad  in  his  hand, 
beating  the  animal  when  he  slackens  his  pace. 

We  find  the  farming  r.ude  in  the  extreme,  but  the  soil  is 
so  rich  that  the  islands  are  of  some  commercial  importance. 

46.     THE    BALEARIC    ISLES 

WK  have  left  the  Azores  and  arc  passing  through  the 
Strait  of  Gibraltar  into  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 
That  great  yellow  rock  on  the  left,  with  the  guns  frown- 
ing out  of  its  fortifications,  is  Gibraltar.  It  belongs  to  the 
English,  and  is  a  part  of  the  continent  of  Europe.     The 


THE   BALEARIC   ISLES  303 

ragged,  rocky  mountains  on  our  right  are  in  Morocco,  on 
the  continent  of  Africa.  The  sea  in  front  of  us  reaches  on 
and  on  for  more  than  two  thousand  miles,  separating  these 
continents,  forming  the  highways  of  travel  between  them. 

How  bright  the  sun  is,  and  how  beautiful  and  blue  is 
the  water !  It  is  rippling  under  the  wind,  and  thousands 
of  black  porpoises  are  leaping  and  racing  at  the  front, 
back,  and  sides  of  our  vessel.  They  stay  with  us  for 
hours.  We  move  slowly  eastward,  and  then,  turning 
north,  call  at  the  Balearic  (bal-e-ar'Tk)  Islands  belonging 
to  Spain. 

The  Balearic  Archipelago  consists  of  four  principal 
islands  and  several  smaller  ones,  formed  by  the  highest 
parts  of  a  subterranean  ridge  which  here  extends  far  out 
from  the  continent.  The  islands,  all  told,  have  an  area  not 
much  greater  than  half  that  of  Porto  Rico.  The  first  two 
we  pass  are  Formentera(for-men-ta'ra)  and  Iviza  (e-ve'tha). 
They  are  small  and  low,  but  are  covered  with  orchards  and 
vineyards.  Farther  on  is  Majorca,  the  largest  of  the  group, 
about  the  size  of  Rhode  Island,  and  farther  still,  Minorca, 
which  is  ne.xt  in  size.  Both  are  rugged  and  mountainous, 
and  both  are  of  importance  to  trade,  although  not  so  much 
so  now  as  in  the  past. 

The  Balearic  Isles  were  famous  in  the  days  of  old 
Rome.  They  were  noted  for  their  slingers,  and  one 
Roman  general  had  to  put  skins  over  his  boats  to  protect 
his  men  from  missiles  thrown  by  the  natives.  During  the 
Middle  Ages  these  islands  were  among  the  chief  markets 
of  Europe.  They  traded  with  France,  Spain,  Italy,  and 
Africa ;  and  ships  from  Asia,  loaded  with  goods  brought 
by  caravans  from  the  interior,  came  across  the  Mediter- 


304 


THE   BALEARIC    ISLES  305 

ranean  Sea  to  Majorca,  and  there  transferred  their  freight 
to  other  vessels  bound  for  the  European  countries  near  by. 
When  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  was  discovered,  Asiatic 
products  were  sent  south  around  Africa,  and  the  islands 
lost  this  trade.  They  are  now  chiefly  dependent  upon  the 
coasts  nearest  them.  They  export  oil,  almonds,  oranges, 
lemons,  and  capers  to  Marseilles,  and  wine,  pigs,  and 
vegetables  to  Barcelona,  and  also  to  Algiers  and  Italy. 

Our  first  stopping  place  is  in  the  beautiful  harbor  of 
Palma,  the  capital  of  the  archipelago.  It  is  a  Spanish 
city  of  more  than  sixty  thousand  people,  lying  right  on 
the  sea,  and  extending  up  the  hills  at  the  back.  Not  far 
from  the  shore  is  a  great  cathedral  built  centuries  ago,  and 
on  the  hills  above  we  can  see  windmills  which  remind  us 
of  Holland.  Here  and  there  palm  trees  are  waving  over 
the  houses. 

The  streets  are  narrow,  and  the  houses  not  unlike  those 
of  Madeira.  The  people  are  polite,  and  we  enjoy  their 
quaint  costumes,  which  resemble  those  of  the  peasants  of 
some  parts  of  Spain. 

We  gallop  on  donkeys  out  into  the  country  through 
roads  lined  with  thorny  cochineal  plants  and  other  cacti. 
There  are  many  orange  trees,  gnarly  olive  orchards, 
smooth-leaved  fig  trees,  and  also  pomegranates. 

Much  of  Majorca  is  kept  like  a  garden.  The  soil  is  as 
rich  as  that  of  California ;  single  orange  trees  have  pro- 
duced more  than  two  thousand  oranges  in  one  season,  and 
grapes  grow  in  such  luxuriance  that  one  bunch  would 
furnish  a  lunch  for  a  class  of  schoolboys.  There  are  also 
apples,  cherries,  and  peaches,  and  indeed  almost  every 
kind  of  fruit. 


3o6 


ISLANDS   UF   THE   MEDITERRANEAN    SEA 


47.     CORSICA   AND   ELBA 


AFTER  leaving  Palina,  we  sail  on  to  Port  Mahon  in 
Minorca  and  there  take  a  ship  for  Ajaccio  (a-yat'cho) 
on  the  French  island  of  Corsica.  Ajaccio  is  the  capital  of 
Corsica,  and  is  especially  noted  because  it  is  the  town  in 
which  Napoleon  was  born.     The  city  has  several  statues 

to  its  great  hero,  and 
many  of  its  people  can 
explain  just  why  Napo- 
leon lost  the  battle  of 
Waterloo,  and  are  sure 
that  if  he  had  been 
feeling  well  that  day, 
he  would  have  been 
\ictorious. 

The  Corsicans  are 
a  nation  of  fighters. 
Their  little  island  is 
rugged  and  mountain- 
ous and  not  very  rich,  but  they  are  proud  of  their  courage 
and  would,  it  is  said,  much  rather  fight  than  farm.  We  see 
children  playing  soldiers  in  the  streets,  and  notice  that  the 
people  are  rather  sober  and  serious.  Most  of  the  women 
dress  in  black,  and  the  men  are  grave  and  reserved. 

Although  Corsica  belongs  to  France,  its  people  look 
more  like  Italians  than  Frenchmen.  They  speak  Italian 
and  were  for  many  centuries  governed  from  Italy.  In 
1768  the  island  was  given  over  to  P^rance  and  it  is  now 
ruled  as  a  department  or  province  of  that  country. 


Napoleon's  house,  Ajaccio. 


CORSICA    AND    ELBA  307 

Corsica  is  beautiful.  Its  mountainous  character  can  be 
seen  far  out  at  sea.  There  are  hills  about  the  harbor  of 
Ajaccio  and  back  of  them  well-wooded  mountains,  some 
of  which  are  snow  capped  at  this  time  of  the  year.  Some 
of  the  valleys  have  excellent  crops ;  there  are  many  vine- 
yards and  fine  groves  of  olives  and  oranges. 

After  a  stroll  about  Ajaccio  we  take  the  train  for  Bastia, 
the  leading  city  on  the  north  coast  of  Corsica,  where  we 
find  a  steamer  which  lands  us  in  Elba. 

We  have  now  seen  where  Napoleon  was  born,  and  where 
he  spent  his  last  days  and  was  buried.  This  little  island 
of  Elba  is  another  spot  connected  with  his  career.  When 
he  was  first  defeated  by  the  forces  of  Europe  and  com- 
pelled to  give  up  the  French  throne,  he  was  allowed  to 
retain  the  title  of  Emperor,  and  told  he  could  have  this 
little  island  of  Elba  as  his  empire.  He  was  brought  here 
and  given  a  sum  of  money  eight  times  as  much  as  the 
salary  of  our  President  to  support  himself  and  his  court. 
He  came  here  May  4,  18 14,  but  the  next  February  secretly 
left  for  France,  where  he  raised  another  army  and  marched 
against  his  enemies,  who  finally  defeated  him  at  the  battle 
of  Waterloo. 

Elba  now  belongs  to  Italy,  being  governed  as  a  part  of 
the  province  nearest  it  on  the  mainland.  It  is  only  about 
as  large  as  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  it  has  but  a  few 
thousand  people.  The  surface  of  the  island  is  mountain- 
ous. There  are  extensive  iron  mines,  the  ore  of  which  is 
so  fine  that  it  is  exported  to  the  United  States  and  Eng- 
land for  making  Bessemer  steel.  We  spend  a  few  hours 
at  Portoferrajo  (por'to-fer-rii' yo),  the  principal  city,  and 
then  sail  southward   for  the  island  ol   Sartlinia. 


308  ISLANDS   OF  TIIK    Mi:i)H  KRKANKAN    SEA 


48.     SARDINIA   AND    SICILY 

THE  two  largest  of  the  Mediterranean  islands  belong 
to  Italy.  I'hey  are  Sardinia,  south  of  Corsica,  larger 
than  Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts  combined,  and 
Sicily,  at  the  toe  of  the  Italian  boot,  which  is  much  larger 
still.  Both  islands  are  rugged  and  mountainous,  both 
have  ricli  valleys  and  plains,  and  both  are  inhabited  by 
people  of  the  same  race  as  the  Italians.  Sicily  is  the 
richer  and  more  important;  but  Sardinia  lies  right  on  our 
route,  and  we  visit  it  first. 

Leaving  Elba,  we  sail  southward  along  the  coast  of 
Corsica,  and  then  skirt  the  eastern  shores  of  Sardinia 
until  we  reach  the  end  of  the  island  and  enter  the  port 
of  Cagliari  (kal'ya-re),  its  capital. 

We  are  in  sight  of  mountains  all  the  way.  They  are 
heavily  wooded  and  capped  with  fleecy  white  clouds.  Some 
of  the  peaks  are  more  than  a  mile  high,  and  parts  of  the 
shore  are  rugged  in  the  extreme.  Our  little  steamer  goes 
lazily  along,  and  we  lean  over  the  rail,  watching  the  land 
with  our  field  glasses.  We  can  make  out  the  olive  orchards 
and  vineyards  of  the  foothills,  and  are  told  that  the  woods 
higher  up  contain  cork  trees,  chestnuts,  oaks,  and  j)ines. 

Coming  into  Cagliari  Bay,  we  are  in  an  amphitheater  of 
which  the  sea  is  the  floor,  and  the  hills,  covered  with  build- 
ings forming  the  city,  are  the  encircling  tiers.  There  are 
many  boats  and  shi])s  in  the  harbor,  for  Cagliari  is  the 
center  of  the  life  and  trade  of  the  island.  It  is  a  quaint 
town,  with  narrow  streets  which  we  have  to  climb  to  get 
from  one  place  to  another. 


SARDINIA   AND   SICILY  309 

We  land,  and  make  our  way  about  through  the  city. 
The  sidewalks  are  crowded.  All  sorts  of  work  goes  on 
in  the  open  air.  Here  a  cobbler  is  mending  boots  right 
out  on  the  street.  A  little  farther  on  a  tailor  is  sewing, 
while  down  in  that  alley  you  may  see  a  girl  washing 
clothes.  There  are  many  peddlers  showing  their  wares, 
rosy-cheeked  children  play  about  in  the  dirt,  and  donkeys, 
dogs,  and  goats  wind  their  way  in  and .  out  through  the 
crowd.  The  people  are  dark  faced,  with  rosy  cheeks. 
Both  men  and  women  wear  bright  colors,  and  all  together 
the  scene  is  a  gay  one. 

The  better  parts  of  the  town  are  more  open.  There 
are  many  churches,  and  we  frequently  see  priests  and 
nuns  in  black  or  white  gowns  going  about  from  one 
church  to  another. 

The  island  of  Sardinia  is  well  known  in  history.  The 
Phoenicians  and  Carthaginians  had  settlements  upon  it, 
and  it  was  once  called  the  granary  of  the  Romans.  Some 
parts  of  it  are  still  fertile,  but  its  lowlands  are  unhealthful 
and  malarial,  and  it  is  of  no  great  importance  in  the  com- 
merce of  the  Mediterranean. 

It  is  different  with  Sicily,  which  we  are  now  about  to 
visit.  That  island  produces  about  one  third  of  the  wine  of 
Italy,  half  the  barley,  a  large  part  of  the  wheat,  and  nine 
tenths  of  the  fruit.  It  might  be  called  Italy's  farm  and 
market  garden,  and  it  is  so  situated  that  it  is  one  of  the 
chief  commercial  centers  of  this  part  of  the  world. 

It  is  but  a  short  ride  by  sea  from  Cagliari  to  Palermo, 
the  capital.  We  enter  a  fine  bay  guarded  by  two  rugged 
mountains,  and  come  to  anchor  in  front  of  the  plain  in 
which  the  city  lies.     The  plain  is  called  La  Conca  d'Oro, 


310 


ISLANDS   OF  THE   MEDITFRRANFAN   SEA 


or  the  .shell  ol    j;<)lcl,  hocaiiSL-  ol    ils  Icililc  soil  and  its  vast 
orchards  of  oranges,  lemons,  and  other  fruits. 

Palermo  lies  right  on  the  bay  under  the  shadow  of  the 
mountains.  It  is  a  magnificent  town,  as  large  as  Washing- 
ton, with  wide  streets  and  many  fine  buildings. 


Mount  Etna. 

We  spend  some  time  in  wandering  about  it,  and  then 
take  a  train  for  other  parts  of  the  island.  We  visit  Mes- 
sina, a  thriving  seaport  on  the  northeastern  coast  just 
opposite  Italy  and  near  the  strait  through  which  the  ships 
go  from  Genoa  and  Naples  on  their  way  to  Egypt  and  the 
Indian  Ocean. 

We  stop  at  Catania  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Etna  and  ride 
some  distance  up  the  mountain,  although  not  to  the  top.  We 
are  now  on  the  highest  volcano  in  pLurope.  Mount  Etna 
rises  far  above  Vesuvius,  and  as  we  look  at  it,  we  see  that 


SARDINIA  AND   SICILY 


311 


it  is  covered  with  snow.  The  mountain  is  now  smoking, 
although  not  in  actual  eruption,  as  it  has  been  at  many 
times  in  the  past.  In  recent  times  it  has  often  burst  forth, 
throwing  out  a  deluge  of  hot  lava,  ashes,  and  rocks  which 
covered  the  farms,  vineyards, 
and  villages  in  its  course. 

Much  of  our  time  in  Sicily  is 
spent  in  traveling  about  through 
the  country.  The  island  is  a 
beautiful  one,  and  every  step 
brings  a  new  and  strange  pic- 
ture. The  land  is  divided  up 
into  large  estates,  which  are 
rented  out  to  peasants  who  labor 
under  overseers  or  perhaps  on 
shares. 

The  peasants  live  in  villages 
and  go  out  to  their  work.  Their 
houses  are  rude,  usually  built 
of  stone  or  brick  covered  with 
plaster.  The  people  live  chiefly 
on  wheat,  dried  olives,  green 
fruits,   and    sour    cheese,    with  Sicilian  giri. 

now  and  then  a  bit  of  pork  or  goat's  flesh.  We  see  goats 
everywhere.  In  the  cities  they  are  driven  from  house  to 
house  and  milked  while  the  customers  wait. 

Do  you  know  what  sulphur  is  ?  If  you  do  not,  you  can 
learn  something  about  it  by  striking  a  match  or  by  getting 
a  bit  of  it  at  the  drug  store  and  lighting  it.  It  is  a  hard, 
brittle,  yellow  substance,  which  gives  lorth  a  pale  blue 
flame,  the  fumes  of  which  will  make  you  cough  and  almost 


312  ISLANDS   OF   TIIK    MLDITKURAXKAN    SEA 

suffocate  you.      It  is  of  value  in  luakiiiL;'  matches,  gunpow- 
der, and  medicines,  and  in  man\'  kinds  of  manufactures. 

VVc  saw  some  sulpliur  in  the  volcanoes  we  visited  during 
our  tour  of  the  Pacific.  There  are  also  sulphur  mines 
here  and  there  in  the  earth.  Mount  l^^.tna  sometimes 
vomits  forth  sul[)hur  mixed  with  its  lava,  but  the  chief 
supplies  of  Sicilian  suljjhur  come  from  sulphur  mines  far 
away  from  the  volcano.  The  sulphur  lies  in  veins  in  the 
earth.  It  is  dug  t)ut  by  men  and  boys,  just  as  our  people 
mine  coal.  The  ore  is  carried  to  the  surface,  and  then 
smelted  or  otherwise  treated  to  remove  the  imjnirities,  after 
which  it  is  shipped  to  different  parts  of  the  world. 

49.     MALTA   AND   THL:   GRFXIAN    ISLKS 

AFFAV  hours  by  steamer  from  Sicily  bring  us  to 
-Malta>  a  rocky  little  island  with  smaller  islands  about 
it.  belonging  to  Great  Britain.  Malta  itself  is  only  nine 
miles  wide  and  twenty  miles  long,  but  it  is  valuable  because 
of  its  excellent  harbor  at  Valctta,  and  because  it  lies  almost 
midway  on  the  route  from  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar  through 
the  Mediterranean  Sea  to  the  Suez  Canal. 

As  we  see  the  i.sland  from  our  steamer,  it  appears  to  be 
without  vegetation.  The  fields  are  inclosed  in  stone  walls, 
the  hills  are  terraced  with  stones,  and  it  is  only  w^here  the 
orange,  lemon,  and  olive  trees  stand  out  above  the  walls 
that  green  is  to  be  seen. 

There  are  many  ships  at  the  wharves  of  Valetta  ;  and 
we  make  our  way  through  a  crowd  of  Italians,  English, 
Turks,  Greeks,  and  sailors  from  everywhere,  up  the  steep 


MALTA   AND   THE   GRECIAN   ISLES 


313 


Streets  to  the  main  part  of  the  city.  We  go  along  the 
Strada  Reale,  the  best  business  street,  looking  at  the  beau- 
tiful Maltese  lace  in  the  show  windows,  and  at  the  silver 
filigree  work  which  might  almost  be  called  lace  in  silver. 

We  take  donkeys  and  ride  out  to  spend  a  day  with  the 
peasants.  They  have  small  farms  surrounded  by  stone 
walls  which  prevent 
the  land  from  washing 
away,  and  also  serve  to 
keep    out   the    robbers. 

They  live  in  little 
houses  built  of  stone, 
with  flat  roofs  and 
rough  doors  and  win- 
dows. They  cook  upon 
charcoal  brasiers,  and 
their  food  is  scanty  and 
plain.  The  peasants 
seldom  have  meat ;  they 
live  mainly  on  brown 
bread,  macaroni,  olive 
oil,  and  goat's -milk 
cheese,  and  sometimes  fish  and  fruit.  They  go  to  work 
early,  but  rest  a  couple  of  hours  in  the  middle  of  the  day, 
and  always  take  a  nap  after  dinner. 

The  people  are  everywhere  busy,  but  they  are  gener- 
ally ready  to  stop  and  chat  with  us  through  our  inter- 
preter. The  men  are  in  their  shirt  sleeves ;  they  wear 
trousers  of  coarse  blue  cotton,  and  most  of  them  are  bare- 
footed. The  women  dress  just  as  simply,  having  coarse 
dresses  with  hoodlike  mantles  which    reach  to  tlie  waist. 


"They  live  in  little  houses  built  of  stone. 


314  ISLANDS  <)i'  nil':  miidi  tiikkankan  ska 

Our  donkeys  arc  excellent,  and  lliey  trol  as  last  as 
ponies.  The  air  from  the  sea  is  fresh  and  cool,  and  we 
enjoy  ourselves  as  we  ride  from  one  little  farm  to  another, 
now  stoi)pint(  to  eat  the  blood-red  oran<;es  common  to 
Malta,  and  now  drinking  a  glass  of  warm  milk  fresh  from 
the  goat. 

Malta  is  noted  for  its  goats.  They  are  excellent  milking 
animals,  some  giving  as  much  as  a  quart  daily.  ICvery 
morning  the  goats  are  brought  from  the  country  into 
the  towns  and  milked  at  the  doors  of  the  customers. 

From  Valetta  we  take  ship  for  the  Ionian  Islands,  off 
the  western  and  southern  coasts  of  Greece,  calling  first  at 
Zante,  not  far  from  the  entrance  to  the  Gulf  of  Corinth. 

The  Ionian  Islands  are  many  in  number,  and  seven  of 
them  are  of  some  importance.  They  have  all  together  an 
area  not  much  larger  than  the  area  of  Rhode  Island,  and 
their  population  is  little  more  than  two  hundred  thousand. 
Only  one  third  of  them  are  Greeks,  the  others  being  Jews 
and  people  of  the  mixed  races  from  the  countries  about. 

The  skies  of  Greece  are  wonderfully  clear,  the  climate 
is  delightful,  and  the  soil  is  so  fertile  that  oranges,  lemons, 
grapes,  and  other  kinds  of  fruits  grow  luxuriantly.  Upon 
the  island  of  Zante  there  are  great  vineyards  devoted  to 
Zante  currants,  a  seedless  grape  which  is  dried  and  shipped 
all  over  the  world.  It  is  sold  in  almost  every  grocery 
store,  and  we  have  often  eaten  it  in  cakes  and  plum 
puddings. 

From  Zante  we  go  north  to  Corfu,  an  island  noted  for 
its  beauty,  and  then  move  around  the  southern  coast  of 
Greece  to  the  archipelago  in  the  ^Egean  Sea. 

This  archipelago  consists  of  many  small  volcanic  islands. 


CRKIK,    RIIODKS,    AND    CVPRUS  315 

of  which  some  are  little  more  than  rocks  of  white  marble ; 
some  are  almost  barren,  and  others  have  olive  orchards 
and  vineyards  built  in  terraces  on  the  sides  of  the  hills. 
The  people  live  in  little  flat-roofed  houses  painted  white. 
They  are  mostly  Greeks,  or  of  the  mixed  race  found  in 
this  region,  many  of  them  being  sailors  and  fishermen. 
Some  of  these  islands  belong  to  Turkey,  having  a  popula- 
tion more  or  less  Mohammedan,  while  those  nearest  Greece 
are  inhabited  chiefly  by  Christians  of  the  Greek  Catholic 
Church. 

50.     CRETE,    RHODES,   AND   CYPRUS 

COASTING  southward,  we  call  at  Crete,  formerly  a 
dependency  of  Turkey,  but  now  a  part  of  the  king- 
dom of  Greece,  having  its  representatives  in  the  Greek 
parliament  at  Athens.  Crete  is  a  long  narrow  island  about 
as  big  as  Porto  Rico.  It  has  a  chain  of  mountains  running 
through  it,  Mount  Ida  being  two  thousand  feet  higher 
than  Mount  Washington. 

The  mountains  of  Crete  have  numerous  caves,  including 
one  on  the  slope  of  Mount  Ida  in  which  the  ancient  Greeks 
supposed  the  Minotaur  lived.  This  was  a  terrible  monster 
with  a  human  body  and  the  head  of  a  bull,  which,  according 
to  tradition,  ate  nothing  but  human  flesh.  Every  year,  so 
the  story  goes,  the  king  of  Crete  compelled  Athens  to  send 
seven  boys  and  seven  girls  to  be  fed  to  this  monster,  and 
this  continued  until  a  brave  young  prince,  named  Theseus, 
came  here  and  fought  the  Minotaur  and  cut  off  his  head. 

We  call  at  the  town  of  Candia,  on  the  northern  coast. 

OUR   COLONIES — I9 


3l6  ISLANDS   OF  TIIK   MF.I  )rrKKRAXi:AX-  SKA 

The  pcoi)lo  arc  nuich  like  tliose  we  saw  in  ihe  Grecian 
islands.  They  have  oval  faces,  pointed  chins,  and  dark, 
rosy  cheeks.  Many  of  the  men  wear  white  shirts,  blue 
waistcoats,  and  long  boots,  with  their  trousers  gathered  in 
at  the  knees.  Some  have  red  fez  caps,  and  others  wear 
hoods.  The  chief  business  of  Crete  is  farming  and  fruit 
raising,  the  principal  products  being  olives,  oranges,  lemons, 
and  wines. 

Leaving  Candia,  we  next  call  at  Rhodes,  where  we  get 
a  ship  which  takes  us  to  Cyprus,  at  the  eastern  end  of  the 
Mediterranean  Sea.  Rhodes  has  been  a  very  important 
island  in  the  past,  and  it  was  once  a  great  commercial 
center,  having  trade  with  Egypt,  Asia  Minor,  Greece,  and 
other  parts  of  Europe.  Its  capital,  the  famous  city  of 
Rhodes,  at  its  northern  end,  was  in  ancient  times  one  of  the 
finest  cities  of  the  world,  noted  for  its  schools  and  culture. 

The  island  formerly  belonged  to  Turkey,  but  since  the 
World  War  it  has  been  under  Italian  control.  The  great 
city  of  the  past  has  disappeared,  and  in  its  place  is  a  town  of 
about  thirty  thousand  people,  made  up  of  Greeks,  Turks, 
Armenians,  Jews,  and  Italians.  The  island  is  mountainous, 
with  many  well-watered  valleys.  It  produces  wine,  wax, 
honey,  lemons,  oranges,  and  figs,  and  has  some  manufactures 
of  silks. 

It  was  upon  Rhodes  that  the  famed  Colossus  stood. 
This  was  a  statue  as  high  as  a  country  church  steeple, 
jnit  up  to  the  god  of  the  sun,  in  honor  of  the  success- 
ful defense  of  Rhodes,  about  three  hundred  years  before 
Christ.  The  people  erected  it  at  the  entrance  of  the  port, 
so  that  it  was  seen  by  ships  coming  in,  just  as  the  great 
Statue  of   Liberty  is  seen  in  the  harbor   of   New  York. 


CRETE,    RHODES,   AND   CYPRUS  317 

They  were  years  in  building  it,  and  when  completed  it  was 
considered  one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the  world.  It 
was  finally  destroyed  by  an  earthquake  about  224  b.c,  and 
its  fragments  lay  where  they  fell  for  almost  one  thousand 
years. 

Cyprus  is  the  third  largest  island  of  the  Mediterranean. 
As  we  near  it  from  Rhodes,  it  looks  like  two  islands,  for 
it  has  two  mountain  ranges  running  along  its  north  "and 
south  coasts,  with  a  large  plain  between  them.  As  we  get 
nearer,  the  mountains  seem  to  grow  in  size,  and  the  real 
shape  of  the  island  becomes  more  apparent.  We  steam 
around  the  southern  side,  calling  first  at  Limissos  and 
then  at  Larnaka,  the  chief  port,  with  a  very  poor  harbor. 

We  land,  and  make  our  way  through  the  town,  and  then 
take  horses  and  ride  across  country  to  Nikosia,  the  capi- 
tal. We  pass  many  little  fields  of  wheat  and  barley  on 
our  way.  Now  and  then  we  see  a  cotton  plantation,  and 
up  on  the  hills  olive  orchards  and  vineyards.  Farming  is 
the  chief  business  of  Cyprus  ;  although  the  country  is  very 
rough,  and  there  is  much  waste  land. 

Cyprus  now  belongs  to  Great  Britain,  being  governed 
by  a  high  commissioner  appointed  by  the  king  of  Eng- 
land. The  island  is  noted  for  its  antiquities ;  and  many 
statues,  vases,  and  other  curiosities  used  ages  ago  have 
been  dug  out  of  the  ground  and  sent  to  museums  all  over 
the  world.  The  people  are  mainly  of  the  Greek  race, 
and  most  of  them  belong  to  the  Greek  Catholic  Church, 
although  some  few  are  Mohammedans.  There  are  many 
schools,  including  high  schools,  and  several  newspapers 
are  pubUshed  in  Greek.  The  people  elect  many  of  their 
own  officers  and  fix  their  own  taxes. 


THE   WEST   INDIES  319 


51.     THE   WEST    INDIES  — GENERAL   VIEW 

WE  have  crossed  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  have  passed 
out  through  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar,  and  are  again 
steaming  over  the  billowy  Atlantic.  We  are  on  our  way 
to  the  West  Indies,  that  mighty  archipelago  which,  begin- 
ning about  Florida  in  North  America,  extends  in  a  great 
curve  to  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco  River  in  South 
America,  walling  in  the  Caribbean  Sea  from  the  Atlan- 
tic Ocean  and  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  West  Indies  are  among  the  most  important  islands 
of  the  globe,  and  they  are  especially  interesting  to  us 
because  their  people  are  our  next-door  neighbors.  Porto 
Rico,  one  of  the  larger  islands,  is  an  American  colony,  and 
we  have  close  political  and  trade  interests  with  Cuba,  the 
largest  and  most  important  island  of  all. 

Let  us  take  a  general  view  of  the  W^est  Indies  before 
we  begin  to  explore  them.  They  are  divided  into  three 
principal  groups :  the  Bahamas,  off  the  southeast  coast  of 
Florida ;  the  Greater  Antilles,  comprising  Cuba,  Jamaica, 
Haiti,  and  Porto  Rico,  with  the  smaller  islands  about  them, 
south  of  the  Bahamas ;  and  the  Lesser  Antilles,  which 
extend  from  Porto  Rico  to  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco 
River. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Bahamas,  which  are  low  and 
of  coral  formation,  the  most  of  the  archipelago  is  moun- 
tainous, some  parts  having  active  volcanoes.  The  Greater 
and  Lesser  Antilles  are  merely  the  peaks  of  a  high  moun- 
tain range,  which  extends  far  down  into  the  bed  of  the 
ocean.     The  mountains  are  covered  with  forests,  the  trees 


320  Tlir.   WF.ST   INDIES 

of  which  include  mahogany  and  dyevvoods  ;  the  lowlands 
are  largely  sugar  ])lantations ;  all  the  fruits  of  the  tropics 
grow  in  profusion,  and  the  islands  are  so  beautiful  that 
they  are  often  spoken  of  as  "  The  Gems  of  the  Ocean." 
The  most  of  them  lie  in  the  tropics,  but  they  are  in  the 
track  of  the  tratle  M'inds,  and  the  highlands  are  delight- 
fully cool.  The  archipelago  has  a  rainy  season  toward 
the  end  of  the  summer,  and  a  dry  one  from  December  to 
April,  while  in  the  early  fall  there  are  frequent  hurricanes. 

We  all  know  how  the  West  Indies  were  discovered. 
The  Bahamas  were  first  seen  by  Columbus  in  1492,  and 
during  the  same  year  he  visited  also  Cuba  and  Haiti.  He 
had  no  idea  of  our  great  hemisphere,  but  supposed  himself 
near  the  coast  of  India  or  some  part  of  Asia,  and  therefore 
called  the  new  islands  the  West  Indies.  The  Greater 
Antilles  were  colonized  by  the  Spaniards,  and  they  at  first 
claimed  the  whole  archipelago.  They  were  not  able  to 
hold  the  islands,  however,  which  gradually  passed  out  of 
their  hands. 

Cuba  is  now  independent,  Porto  Rico  and  several  of  the 
Virgin  Islands  are  ours,  and  Haiti  is  divided  into  two  re- 
publics. Jamaica,  the  Bahamas,  and  some  of  the  Lesser 
Antilles  belong  to  the  British,  and  other  islands  are  owned 
by  the  French  and  Dutch. 

The  West  Indies  are  bound  together  with  telegra})h 
cables.  Many  lines  of  steamers  connect  them  with  one 
another  and  with  the  chief  ports  of  our  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
coasts,  and  also  with  Europe.  We  shall  have  no  trouble 
in  making  our  way  from  one  place  to  another,  and  shall 
frequently  meet  Americans  who  are  doing  business  in  the 
islands. 


THE    LKSSKR    AN'IIIJ.ES  32 1 


52.     THE    LESSER    ANTILLES 

OUR  first  travels  through  the  West  Indies  shall  be  in 
the  Lesser  Antilles.  We  are  nearing  them  now. 
That  island  at  the  front  over  the  prow  of  the  ship  is  Bar- 
bados (bar-ba'dos),  belonging  to  England.  It  is  our  first 
port  of  call.  As  we  come  closer  we  can  see  the  cocoanut 
trees  lining  the  shores.  We  observe  that  the  island  is  of 
coral  formation,  and  we  sail  carefully  to  avoid  the  coral 
reef,  through  a  break  in  which  we  enter  the  harbor  of 
Bridgetown. 

The  moment  our  steamer  casts  anchor  it  is  surrounded 
by  boats  filled  with  negro  men  and  women  bringing  tropi- 
cal fruits,  shells,  and  other  things  for  sale.  We  land,  and 
find  ourselves  in  one  of  the  quaintest  towns  we  have  yet 
seen.  The  buildings  are  of  wood  or  of  coral  rock.  Many 
are  of  two  and  three  stories ;  some  have  awnings  over  the 
streets,  and  we  can  walk  from  store  to  store  in  the  shade. 

How  bright  everything  is  and  how  dusty  !  The  white 
coral  roads  are  dazzling  under  the  sun,  and  we  are  warned 
to  buy  smoked  glasses  to  shield  our  eyes  during  our  rides 
over  the  island. 

See  the  sugar !  There  are  hogsheads  and  bags  of  it  on 
the  wharves ;  there  are  barrels  of  rum,  and  the  rich  smell 
of  molasses  fills  the  air.  This  little  island  is  one  great 
sugar  plantation.  It  is  only  about  twice  as  large  as  the 
District  of  Columbia,  but  it  has  thousands  of  acres  of 
sugar  fields,  a  large  number  of  sugar  mills,  and  some  dis- 
tilleries which  make  rum, 

Barbados  is  as  thickly  populated  as  any  island  we  have 


322 


THE   WEST   INDIES 


visited,  and  the  most  of  its  people  are  ne<^roes.  The  streets 
are  filled  with  blacks  and  mulattoes,  nearly  all  dressed  in 
white.  The  men  wear  white  shirts  and  trousers  and  white 
straw  hats,  and  the  women  white  or  colored  dresses  and 
bright-colored  turbans.  How  straight  the  women  are ! 
There  come  two  with  bundles  on  their  heads.  It  is  this 
way  of  carrying  things  that  gives  them  their  erect  figures. 


Street  in  Bridgetown. 

Farther  on  is  a  black  policeman  with  a  white  helmet. 
There  are  black  soldiers  and  black  merchants,  lawyers,  and 
doctors.  This  is  the  case  with  most  of  the  Lesser  Antilles 
and  also  of  Jamaica  and  Haiti.  The  blacks  were  brought 
as  slaves  from  Africa  to  work  the  sugar  plantations.  They 
were  afterward  freed,  and  they  now  form  an  important 
part  of  the  island  population,  and  on  many  of  the  West 
Indies   the  most  important  part.     The   sugar  estates  of 


THE   LESSER   ANTILLES 


323 


Cutting  sugar  cane. 


Barbados  are  largely  owned  by  colored  people,  although 
the  island  belongs  to  England  and  is  ruled  by  a  governor 
sent  out  from  that  country. 

Leaving  Barbados,  we  sail  for  Trinidad,  stopping  at 
Kingstown,  the  capital  of  St.  Vincent,  and  at  St.  George  in 
Grenada,  another  English  island  below.  Both  Grenada 
and  St.  Vincent  are  volcanic.  They  have  a  rich  soil  and 
raise  all  sorts  of  tropical  fruits,  including  spices  and  the 
cacao  from  which  chocolate  is  made. 

Trinidad  is  the  largest  of  the  Lesser  Antilles.  It  is  a 
rectangular  island  lying  so  close  to  the  South  American 
continent  that  we  could  cross  over  in  a  very  few  hours. 
It  is  thickly  populated,  having  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  inhabitants. 

Tlie  isUiuil  is  devoted  tu  sugar,  and  among   its   jicople 


3^4 


TlIK    WKSr    INDIKS 


are  eighty-five  thousand  Hindus  who  have  come  here  to 
work  on  the  sugar  estates.  We  see  Hindus  and  Chinese 
among  the  blacks  and  whites  at  the  wharf  of  Port  of 
Spain,  where  we  land  ;  the  vegetation  is  like  that  of  Cey- 
lon, and  wc  wonder  if  we  are  not  off  the  coast  of  southern 
India,  instead  of  off  South  America. 


Port  of  Spain. 

Port  of  Spain  is  the  capital  of  Trinidad.  It  is  a  well- 
kept  little  city  with  all  modern  improvements.  It  has  places 
where  we  can  hire  automobiles,  and  we  ride  about  over 
the  country,  visiting  the  sugar,  coffee,  and  cacao  plantations. 
Now  we  stop  to  gather  flowers. and  ferns  by  the  roadside, 
now  to  watch  the  butterflies,  which  are  so  beautiful  in  this 
part  of  the  world,  and  again  to  laugh  at  the  monkeys, 
which  angrily   scold  at  us  out  of  the  trees. 

Our  most  interesting  trip  from  Port  of  Spain  is  to  La 
Brea,  a  little  ])cninsula  on  Trinidad  about  thirty-six  miles 
away.     Upon   this    peninsula    is    nn   asjihalt  lake,   whose 


THE   LESSER   ANTILLES 


325 


contents    have    furnished    the    pavements    of    many   an 
American  city. 

We  have  all  heard  of  asphalt,  and  many  of  us  have 
walked  or  ridden  upon  it.  It  is  a  sort  of  pitchlike  sub- 
stance, mixed  with  sand,  which  melts  when  heated,  but 
when  cold  is  as  hard  as  stone.  This  stuff  can  be  spread 
over  a  road,  making  it  perfectly  smooth.  It  can  be  put 
upon  paper  or  other  material  and  made  into  roofing,  or  it 
can  be  used  for  walks  and  floors. 


Lake  of  pitch. 

Near  La  Brea,  in  the  top  of  a  hill  about  1 30  feet  above 
the  sea,  there  is  a  lake  of  such  pitch.  It  is  a  mile  and  a 
half  in  circumference,  and  in  it  there  are  several  million 
tons  of  asphalt. 

We  go  to  La  Brea  by  sea,  smelling  the  pitch  as  we  near 
the  peninsula.     The  beach  is  coated  with  hard  pilch,  and 


326  THE   WEST   INDIES 

there  are  grayish  black  pitch  pebbles  upon  it.  We  make 
our  way  up  the  black  road  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  at 
last  stand  on  the  border  of  the  lake.  It  looks  somewhat 
like  a  great  sheet  of  asphalt  pavement,  dotted  with  little 
islands  of  grass  or  stunted  trees.  It  has  cracks  filled  with 
water,  and  in  some  places  gas  is  coming  out. 

We  see  men  on  the  lake  digging  pitch,  and  start 
across  it.  At  the  center  our  boots  sink  in  almost  to  our 
ankles,  and  we  hurry  on,  fearing  we  may  get  fast  in  the 
pitch  and  not  be  able  to  pull  ourselves  out.  Nevertheless 
our  feet  are  comparatively  clean.  There  is  so  much  water 
and  oil  in  the  asphalt  that  it  does  not  stick.  We  take  up 
some  and  wring  the  water  out  of  it  with  our  hands,  and 
are  told  we  might  knead  it  an  hour  before  it  would  become 
sticky. 

Vast  quantities  of  this  asphalt  arc  shipped  away  every 
year,  but  the  stuff  gradually  rises  and  fills  the  places  dug 
out,  so  that  one  really  does  not  know  how  much  there  is. 
Near  the  lake  there  are  places  for  purifying  the  asphalt. 
It  is  boiled  in  huge  caldrons  and  then  run  off  into  barrels, 
in  which  shape  it  goes  to  the  markets. 

Returning  to  Port  of  Spain,  we  are  at  a  loss  to  know 
where  to  go  next.  We  might  visit  Tobago  (to-ba'go),  a 
mountainous  little  island  belonging  to  Great  Britain,  peo- 
pled by  negroes,  or  sail  along  the  northern  coast  of  South 
America  to  visit  Curasao  (kob-ra-so'),  belonging  to  the 
Dutch,  and  other  little  islands  of  that  region.  We  wish, 
however,  to  continue  our  explorations  of  the  Lesser  An- 
tilles, and  hence  make  our  way  northward  to  St.  Lucia, 
belonging  to  Great  Britain.  We  go  by  the  Pitons,  two 
mighty  rocks  of  the  shape  of  gigantic  cones  two  thousand 


THE   LESSER   ANTILLES  327 

feet  high,  and  call  at  Castries  (cas-tre'),  the  capital.  Our 
steamer  goes  right  up  to  the  wharves,  and  we  watch  the 
ships  taking  on  coal  while  we  wait.  The  island  is  volcanic 
and  wild  in  the  extreme.  Castries  is  an  excellent  coaling 
station,  but  otherwise  of  little  importance. 

Our  next  stop  is  at  Martinique,  where  we  land  at  Fort 
de  France  and  climb  Mont  Pelee,  the  terrible  volcano 
which  ruined  the  town  of  St.  Pierre  and  a  great  part  of 
the  island  a  few  years  ago.  The  volcano  is  less  than  a 
mile  high,  but  it  periodically  bursts  forth  into  awful  erup- 
tions, which  deluge  farms  and  villages,  destroying  multi- 
tudes of  people. 

Martinique  has  many  fertile  valleys,  and  its  appearance 
is  somewhat  like  that  of  Tutuila  in  Samoa.  It  belongs  to 
France  and  is  governed  by  that  country,  although  its 
people  are  chiefly  mulattoes.  They  look  much  like  the 
natives  of  Barbados,  save  that  the  women  wear  dresses 
of  brighter  colors  and  have  great  hoops  in  their  ears. 
The  products  are  sugar  and  cacao,  and  the  fruits  of  the 
tropics. 

From  Martinique  we  go  north  to  the  British  island  of 
Dominica,  so  named  because  Columbus  discovered  it  on 
Sunday.  It  is  volcanic  and  is  chiefly  noted  for  its  sugar. 
Farther  north  still  is  Guadeloupe  (ga-d<?-loop'),  an  island 
shaped  like  an  hour  glass,  belonging  to  France,  and  above 
it  the  British  islands  of  Montserrat,  Antigua,  Nevis,  and 
St.  Christopher,  all  small  and  of  little  importance.  On 
Nevis,  Alexander  Hamilton  was  born.  St.  Christopher  was 
named  by  Columbus  after  his  patron  saint,  but  it  is  more 
often  called  St.  Kitts,  Kitt  being  the  nickname  for  Chris- 
topher.    During  our  stay  there  we  climb  Mount  Misery, 


•328  '11 1 1"  \\isr   iM)ii;s 

a  half-dead  volcano,  and  allcrwaid  visit  Brimstone  Hill, 
close  to  the  shore,  which  looks  as  though  it  had  been 
thrown  out  of  the  crater. 

After  leaving  St.  Kitts,  we  sail  northward  to  visit  St.  John, 
St,  Croix  (croi),  and  St.  Thomas,  three  little  islands  which 
our  Government  bought  of  Denmark  in  1916  for  $25,- 
000,000.     Their  population  is,  for  the  most  part,  colored. 

Although  small,  the  islands  are  of  great  value  to  us, 
because  they  lie  right  in  the  track  of  vessels  running  be- 
tween Europe  and  Panama  and  South  America.  The 
island  of  St.  Thomas,  which  has  one  of  the  best  harbors 
in  the  West  Indies,  commands  one  of  the  chief  passages 
from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  into  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and 
fortifications  built  there  wnll  enable  us  to  prevent  any 
hostile  ships  from  going  through  in  time  of  war. 

We  pass  through  a  narrow  opening  into  this  harbor  and 
land  in  the  little  town  of  St.  Thomas,  which  runs  around 
the  shores.  Its  houses  are  of  yellow  stucco  with  roofs  of 
red  tile;  they  are  surrounded  by  gardens  of  tropical  plants 
and  trees.  We  climb  the  hills  above  the  harbor  and,  looking 
westward,  can  see  our  big  island  of  Porto  Rico,  which  is 
only  about  forty  miles  away. 

We  then  go  back  to  the  harbor  and  watch  the  ships  tak- 
ing on  coal.  St.  Thomas  is  one  of  the  chief  coaling  stations 
of  the  West  Indies.  Some  of  the  coaling  is  done  by  machin- 
ery, but  a  great  deal  is  done  by  colored  w^omcn,  bareanned 
and  barefooted.  The  w^omen  sing  as  they  carry  great 
baskets  of  coal  on  their  heads  up  the  gangplanks  into  the 
steamers. 

A  little  later  the  steamer  toots  out  its  warning  to  leave, 
and  we  hurry  on  board.      Uur  ship  sails  to  the  westward. 


GENERAL   VIEW   OF   PORTO    RICO 


329 


mill; 


"We  find  ourselves  in  front  of  San  Juan." 

We  pass  the  little  islands  of  Vieques  (ve-a'kas)  and  Culebra 
(koo-la'bra),  belonging  to  the  United  States,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  hours  find  ourselves  in  front  of  San  Juan, 
the  capital  of  Porto  Rico,  and  under  the  shadow  of  the 
dear  old  American  flag. 

53.     GENERAL   VIEW   OF    PORTO    RICO  — 
A   WALK   THROUGH    SAN    JUAN 

BEFORE  we  land  on  Porto  Rico,  suppose  we  take  a 
bird's-eye  view  of  the  island.  Let  us  imagine  our- 
selves in  a  balloon  high  above  it.  It  lies  on  the  sea, 
an  almost  rectangular  mass  of  rolling  blue  hills,  with 
clouds  resting  on  them,  and  a  light  green  fringe  of  low- 
lands bordering  the  coast.     The  land  rises  in  the  center,  a 


CA 

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GENERAL   VIEW   OF    FOR  TO    RICO  33 1 

mountain  ridge  running  through  it  from  west  to  east, 
branching  out  into  two  spurs  not  far  from  the  middle,  so 
that  the  ridge  has  the  shape  of  a  pitchfork  with  a  short 
haadle  and  two  long  tines.  There,  near  where  the  tines 
con  e  together,  is  El  Yunque  or  The  Anvil.  That  moun- 
tain is  thirty-six  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  and  it  is  the 
highest  point  in  Porto  Rico. 

How  rugged  the  hills  are !  They  slope  up  in  places  like 
walls,  making  valleys  shaped  like  capital  V's,  with  moun- 
tain streams  running  through  them.  Descending,  we  ob- 
serve that  everything  is  covered  with  green ;  the  dark 
shades  on  the  mountains  are  fields  of  coffee,  tobacco,  and 
bananas,  and  the  pale  green  of  the  low  coastal  plains  is 
the  sugar  plantations. 

Porto  Rico  looks  large  to  us  from  our  balloon.  It  is  not 
so  in  comparison  with  many  of  our  states.  You  could  put 
ten  such  islands  into  Indiana,  and  it  would  take  two  of 
them  to  cover  New  Jersey.  Its  average  width  is  only  a 
little  greater  than  the  distance  from  Washington  to  Balti- 
more, and  its  length  not  much  more  than  from  Baltimore 
to  Philadelphia.  If  Porto  Rico  were  level,  we  could  walk 
from  one  end  of  it  to  the  other  in  three  days,  and  we  could 
cross  it  in  one. 

How  thickly  the  island  is  settled!  We  can  see  houses 
everywhere  through  our  field  glasses.  There  are  villages 
along  the  coast  and  in  the  valleys,  and  huts  shine  out 
of  the  trees  on  the  tops  of  the  mountains.  There  are  but 
few  large  cities.  The  most  important  ports  are  San  Juan, 
the  capital,  on  the  north  coast,  and  Mayaguez  and  Ponce 
on  the  west  and  south,  both  thriving  commercial  centers. 
Smaller    places    are    Arecibo     and    Aguadilla,    situated 


332 


TIIL  WESl"  i\uii-:s 


on  the  north  and  west  coast,  and  Guayama  and  Hnmacao 
(6o-ma-ka'o)  on  the  south  and  cast.  The  island  of  Porto 
Rico  contains  a  large  population.  It  has  more  than  a 
million  people.  It  is  more  thickly  settled  than  any  of  the 
West  Indies  except  Barbados,  and  than  any  of  our  states 
except  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island. 


A  street  in  San  Juan. 

But  let  us  come  down  to  earth  and  take  a  walk  through 
San  Juan.  We  are  on  the  streets  of  our  Porto  Rican  capi- 
tal. How  unlike  our  cities  at  home  !  The  town  is  situ- 
ated on  a  little  island  not  far  from  the  middle  of  the 
north  coast  and  connected  with  it  by  bridges.  There  is  a 
huge  wall  about  the  older  part  of  the  city  and  a  castle  on 
a  hill  at  one  corner,  guarding  the  harbor.  There  are  other 
large  houses,  here  and  there,  which  belonged  to  Spain, 
but  are  now  used  by  Uncle  Sam's  officers ;  and  the  rest  of 


GENERAL   VIEW   OF   PORTO    RICO  333 

the  buildings  are  two  and  three  storied  structures,  packed 
close  together  along  narrow  streets  which  cut  each  other 
at  right  angles,  with  a  plaza  or  square  in  the  center. 

The  buildings  are  of  brick,  covered  with  stucco  painted 
in  the  brightest  of  colors  —  sky  blue,  rose  pink,  brown,  red, 
and  yellow.  The  roofs  are  of  red  tiles.  There  is  but  little 
window  glass,  the  window  openings  being  covered  by  heavy 
green  shutters,  which  by  day  are  thrown  back  so  that  you 
can  see  all  that  goes  on  within.  Here  a  woman  is  comb- 
ing her  hair ;  there  one  is  washing ;  across  the  street  a  girl 
is  sewing  on  a  hand  sewing  machine  which  rests  on  her 
lap,  while  about  her  feet  two  little  brown  babies  are  rolling. 
Many  of  the  houses  have  balconies  extending  out  over  the 
sidewalk,  and  in  the  evening  these  form  the  sitting  place 
of  the  family. 

On  some  streets  the  ground  floors  are  given  up  to  small 
stores,  which  look  more  like  caves  than  like  our  mercantile 
establishments.  There  are,  however,  other  rooms  farther 
back,  the  goods  on  the  shelves  being  merely  samples 
of  those  kept  in  the  rear.  The  business  signs  are 
Spanish,  and  the  names  upon  them  give  no  indication  of 
their  owners  nor  of  the  goods  sold  within.  Here,  for  in-  , 
stance,  is  a  dry  goods  store  with  the  words  "  La  Perla,"  or 
"  The  Pearl,"  above  it.  Next  door  is  one  selling  hardware, 
labeled  the  "  Golden  Rooster,"  while  down  that  side  street 
is  a  shop  called  "  La  Nina,"  or  "  The  Girl,"  that  sells  gentle- 
man's furnishing  goods. 

What  a  strange  crowd  !  The  streets  swarm  with  people, 
most  of  them  the  descendants  of  Spaniards  who  settled 
the  island  long  ago.  We  see  many  mulattoes,  and  now 
and  then  a  negro.     There  are  also  people  from  the  United 


334 


THE    WKSr    INDIKS 


States,  and  some  Spaniards.  The  most  of  the  natives 
dress  in  light  clothing.  The  men  wear  straw  hats  and 
white  linen  suits,  and  the  women  light  dresses.  The 
poor  are  barefooted,  and  many  of  the  women  bareheaded. 
How  noisy  it  is  !  From  the  second-story  windows  come 
the  drum  of  the  piano  and  the  twang  of  the  guitar.  Huck- 
sters are  crying  their  wares.     Goats  run  in  and  out  of  the 


"The  chief  market  is  held  inside  a  court." 

houses,  carriages  drawn  by  ponies  dash  by,  and  the  scenes 
are  as  busy  as  any  we  have  witnessed  since  we  left  home. 
We  make  our  way  on  to  the  market,  passing  peddlers 
of  every  description.  Here  is  one  selling  chickens.  He 
has  three  dozen  fowls  tied  together  by  their  legs  and 
slung  on  each  side  his  shoulder,  and  he  calls  out  the 
prices  in  Spanish.  The  chickens  squawk  as  he  goes. 
Behind  him  is  a  man  with  bundles  of  palm  bark  under  his 


GENERAL  VIEW   OF   PORTO    RICO  335 

arms.  There  are  feathers  stickiiij^  out  of  the  bundles,  and, 
as  he  turns  around,  we  see  that  each  contains  a  live  turkey 
laid  flat,  and  thus  tied  up  for  sale.  Farther  on  are  men 
selling  eggs,  and,  farther  still,  ice  peddlers  and  candy 
peddlers,  and  a  boy  carrying  a  great  basket  of  bread  on 
his  head. 

The  chief  market  is  held  inside  a  court.  It  has  vegeta- 
bles and  tropical  fruits,  as  well  as  meats  and  fish  of  all 
kinds.  One  section  is  devoted  to  dried  beef,  which  the 
natives  stew  and  eat  with  their  rice.  Another  article  sold 
is  salt  cod,  which  is  used  all  over  the  country. 

Leaving  the  market,  we  pay  a  visit  to  some  of  our  Porto 
Rican  cousins  in  their  homes.  We  have  brought  letters  of 
introduction,  and  are  heartily  welcomed.  Our  friends  are 
well  to  do,  and  we  find  that  they  live  quite  as  comfortably 
as  we  do  in  America.  They  dwell  on  the  second  floor  of 
the  houses,  the  ground  floor  being  given  up  to  the  ser- 
vants and  stables.  We  often  pass  by  horses  and  carriages 
as  we  go  up  the  wide  stairs  to  the  living  apartments. 

The  rooms  above  are  large  and  airy ;  they  have  great 
windows  opening  out  upon  galleries  or  balconies,  where 
one  can  sit  in  the  cool  of  the  evening.  Our  friends  are 
fond  of  music,  and  we  hear  pianos  and  organs  in  almost 
every  home. 

Later  on  we  see  something  of  the  poorer  people,  finding 
many  living  in  one  or  two  rooms.  Some  families  have  but 
one  bed,  and  the  children  sleep  on  the  floor.  Porto 
Rico  was  terribly  oppressed  before  the  United  States 
took  possession  of  it,  and  the  lower  classes,  although  they 
are  now  much  better  off,  are  still  poor.  There  are  many 
beggars  on  the  island,  and  in  the  cities  there  is  one  day 

OUR   COLONIES  —  20 


jj* 


Tin-,  wi'isi'  iM)ii';s 


of  the  week  when  beggars  arc  permittecl  to  go  about 
asking  ahns.  This  is  usually  Saturday.  Then  every 
merchant  and  business  man  expects  such  a  call,  ana  pre- 
pares a  jDilc  of  cents  for  them.  The  beggars  call  one  by 
one.  I^ach  is  supposed  to  take  one  cent  and  no  more, 
and  to  go  away  blessing  the  giver. 


!:.;ne  of  a  well  to  do  Porto  Rican. 

Before  leaving  San  Juan  we  call  at  the  palace  to  sec 
the  governor,  and  then  visit  the  legislature.  Porto  Rico 
is  now  ruled  by  a  governor  and  an  executive  council,  ap- 
pointed for  a  term  of  four  years  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  a  House  of  thirty-five  delegates.  It 
has  also  a  resident  commissioner  to  the  United  States  who 
has  a  seat  in  our  Congress.  The  delegates  and  the  com- 
missioner are  elected  every  two  years  by  the  people.  Local 
laws  are  made  by  the  council  and  the  delegates. 


ACROSS   PORTO    RICO  337 

Porto  Rico  has  greatly  improved  since  it  became  an 
American  colony.  There  are  schools  everywhere,  and  all 
the  school  children  learn  English.  The  island  has  rail- 
roads and  fine  wagon  roads,  and  it  is  rapidly  growing  in 
civilization  and  wealth. 

»oj»joo- 

54.     ACROSS    PORTO    RICO 

WE  leave  San  Juan  this  morning  for  a  trip  acrosr 
Porto  Rico.  We  have  automobiles,  and  we  spin 
along,  up  hill  and  down,  going  as  fast  or  as  slow  as  we 
please.  Now  we  stop  to  chat  with  the  people,  now  to 
lunch  at  a  village,  and  now  to  visit  a  coffee,  tobacco,  or 
sugar  plantation. 

How  delightful  it  is !  The  road  is  as  hard  as  stone  and 
as  smooth  as  a  floor.  It  is  the  military  road  built  long 
ago  by  the  Spaniards,  and  is  famous  as  one  of  the  best 
roads  of  the  world.  Since  we  took  the  island,  roads  like  it 
have  been  built  everywhere,  and  we  can  go  to  almost  any 
part  of  Porto  Rico  in  our  motor  cars.  This  road  begins  at 
San  Juam,  the  capital,  and  covers  eighty-one  miles  in  cross- 
ing the  mountains  to  Ponce,  the  chief  port  on  the  south 
side  of  the  island ;  although  as  the  crow  flies  the  two  towns 
are  only  about  half  that  distance  apart. 

How  the  road  winds  as  it  goes  up  the  mountains  !  Now 
it  seems  to  cling  to  the  sides  of  a  precipice,  and  we  have 
great  walls  of  green  above  and  below  us;  now  we  are 
climbing  the  hills,  and  now  coasting  down  to  the  valleys. 
At  times  we  can  see  the  road  both  above  and  below  us, 
and  it  seems  impossible  that  we  could  ever  climb  to  the  top. 


338  THE    WKSr    INDIES 

The  scenery  is  wonderfully  beautiful.  We  pass  through 
the  sugar  plantations  of  the  coast,  going  by  cocoanut 
groves  and  other  strange  palms.  Now  we  stop  at  a  field 
of  bananas.  The  plants  are  twenty  feet  high,  and  their 
soft  green  leaves  are  each  as  tall  as  a  man.  Their  blossoms 
are  as  large  as  an  ear  of  pop  corn,  and  those  in  full  bloom 
are  blood  red. 

As  we  wait,  a  man  goes  by  with  a  mule  load  of  oranges. 
The  animal  has  two  baskets,  each  holding  three  bushels, 
slung  over  its  back.  We  ask  the  price  of  the  fruit.  The 
man  tells  us  that  the  oranges  are  especially  fine,  and 
that  he  can  not  possibly  sell  more  than  three  for  a  cent. 
We  buy  a  couple  of  hundred,  each  of  us  storing  a  dozen  or 
so  in  his  automobile  to  eat  on  the  way.  The  oranges  arc 
full  of  juice  and  deliciously  sweet.  We  eat  them  after  the 
Porto  Rican  style,  cutting  off  the  yellow  outside  skin, 
leaving  only  the  white.  We  then  slice  off  the  top  and 
suck  out  the  juice.     It  is  fit  for  a  king. 

Higher  still  we  come  into  the  coffee  plantations  for 
which  Porto  Rico  is  noted.  The  trees  are  in  blossom, 
and  the  air  is  loaded  with  the  sweet  perfume.  Porto  Rico 
raises  some  of  the  best  coffee  of  the  world,  and  coffee 
grows  well  on  all  the  higher  parts  of  the  island.  We  cut 
coffee  sticks  for  canes  and  then  fly  along  through  fields 
of  tobacco,  stopping  to  look  at  the  sheds  where  the  leaves 
are  dried  and  cured  for  the  market.  The  tobacco  fields 
run  up  and  down  the  hills.  The  plants  are  of  a  dark  green 
color,  with  enormous  leaves  which  grow  on  all  sides  of  the 
stalk. 

As  we  go  on  with  our  ride,  the  beauties  of  Porto  Rico 
grow  upon  us.     We  have  seen  most  of  the  islands  of  the 


ACROSS  rr)RTC)  RICO  339 

g^lohc,  bill  iIk-ic  is  none  more  hcHUlilul  tlian  this.  It  is  like 
Switzerland  without  the  ice  and  snow,  and  it  has  many 
beauties  which  Switzerland  has  not.  The  mountains  are 
green,  and  clouds  rest  on  their  tops.  Many  peaks  are  hid- 
den in  fleecy  white  masses,  and  little  white  clouds  nestle 
here  and  there  on  the  slopes.  The  air  is  moist,  the  breeze 
tempers  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  the  heat  seems  just  right. 
,  Now  and  then  we  pass  through  the  woods.  The  trees 
are  those  of  the  tropics,  w^ith  long  green  vines  or  silver- 
gray  moss  hanging  down  from  the  branches.  Some  trees 
have  orchids  clinging  to  them,  others  have  masses  of  red, 
yellow,  or  purple  blossoms,  making  them  look  like  enor- 
mous bouquets,  while  others  are  covered  with  balls  of  white 
wool ;  the  latter  are  cotton  trees,  the  cotton  bursting  forth 
from  the  bolls  just  as  it  does  in  the  plants  of  our  southern 
states. 

And  then  the  ferns!  They  are  of  every  description, 
from  the  exquisite  maidenhair  close  to  the  ground  to  the 
great  tree,  as  high  as  a  two-storied  house,  with  enormous 
branches  as  fine  as  the  most  delicate  lace. 

All  along  the  way  we  meet  people  traveling  or  bringing 
goods  down  to  the  ports.  Some  are  on  Porto  Rican  ponies, 
others  in  carriages,  and  others  on  foot.  We  go  by  great 
carts  loaded  with  tobacco  and  coffee,  and  hauled  by  oxen, 
from  two  to  twelve  being  yoked  to  each  cart.  The  yokes 
are  not  fastened  about  the  necks  as  with  us ;  they  rest 
back  of  the  horns,  and  are  tied  there  by  ropes  so  that  the 
oxen  pull  with  their  horns  and  heads,  and  not  with  their 
necks  and  shoulders  as  at  home. 

Much  freight  is  carried  upon  the  little  ponies,  for  which 
the  island   is    noted.     We   pass  several  caravans  of  this 


340 


'II  IK    WKST    INDIKS 


kind,  each  pony  having  a  pack  on  its  1)ack,  and  sometimes 
a  man  on  top  of  the  pack.  The  man  sits  with  his  feet  on 
each  side  of  the  pony's  neck,  and  rides  ahnost  as  com- 
fortably as  in  a  chair. 

Many  of  the  hills  arc  covered  with  grass,  and  upon  some 
of  them  fat  cattle  are  feeding.  Some  fields  are  fenced 
with  barbed  wire,  others  have  hedges  of  wild  pineapples. 
The  leaves  of  these  are  so  sharp  that  one  can  not  crawl 
over  them,  and  the  animals  will  not  break  through. 

There  are  no  farmhouses  and  barns,  such  as  we  have. 
Now  and  then  we  see  the  home  of  a  planter,  a  building 
made  of  boards  with  holes  in  the  walls  for  windows,  and 
stairs  reaching  from  the  ground  to  the  first  floor.  The 
houses  are  built  high  up  on  posts,  and,  as  in  San  Juan,  the 
well-to-do  people  live  upstairs.  The  climate  is  such  that 
cattle  and  horses  feed  out  of  doors  all  the  year  round ; 
it  is  never  cold,  and  there  is  always  good  pasture. 

The  homes  of  the  poor  are  to  be  seen  everywhere  along 
the  road,  and  off  in  the  fields.  They  are  little  shacks  made 
of  boards  or  palm  bark,  so  mean  that  they  would  hardly  do 
for  a  cow  stable  at  home.  Some  have  a  framework  of 
poles  to  which  are  tied  palm  leaves,  making  the  walls  and 
roof.  The  floors  are  of  poles,  and  the  roof  is  so  thin  that 
the  rain  often  drops  through. 

We  stop  at  a  hut  and  look  in.  It  has  but  one  room. 
There  are  no  windows,  and  the  only  light  comes  through 
the  door,  which  is  made  of  palm  leaves,  and  so  hung  that 
it  can  be  lifted  aside  during  the  day.  The  people  sleep  on 
the  floor.  The  cooking  is  done  in  a  little  lean-to  at  the 
back,  upon  a  fire  bed  of  earth,  the  pot  being  raised  upon 
stones  above  the  coals. 


ACROSS   rORTO   RICO 


341 


The  poor  people  live  upon  little.  Their  chief  food  is 
bananas,  of  which  it  takes  many  to  satisfy  hunger.  The 
small  children  have  their  stomachs  so  stretched  from  such 
eating  that  they  seem  deformed.  Such  stomachs  are  some- 
times called  "banana  stomachs." 

Our  little  Porto  Rican  cousins  of  the  interior  are  scantily 
clothed,  but  thcv  are  nice  little  children,  and  thev  laugh 


"We  stop  at  a  hut  and  look  in." 

and  wave  their  hands  at  us  as  we  pass.  They  seem  to  be 
happy,  and  we  notice  that  their  parents  are  kind  to  them, 
and  apparently  love  them  as  much  as  our  parents  do  us. 

We  go  through  villages  of  thatched  huts,  seeing  now  and 
then  one  which  has  a  few  buildings  similar  to  the  smaller 
houses  of  San  Juan.  The  ordinary  village  consists  of  a 
public  square,  with  a  big  church  facing  it,  several  houses 
of  stucco  and  wood,  and  many  thatched  huts.  The  houses 
are  built  close  together.     Each  has  a  door,  and  some  holes 


342  TIIK   Wi:ST   INDIEh 

tor  windows,  but  no  glass.  Wc  can  see  in  as  we  go  by. 
There  is  almost  no  luiniture  ;  in  some  houses  hammocks 
take  the  place  of  beds. 

The  people  stand  in  the  doorways  and  look  at  us  as 
we  Hy  by.  They  are  dressed  in  white  or  colored  cotton. 
Many  of  the  women  arc  bareheaded,  and  .dl  are  bare- 
footed. Some  have  naked  babies  in  their  arms,  and  naked 
children  fly  out  of  the  streets  to  escape  our  automobiles. 

Now  we  are  over  the  mountains  and  going  down  the 
opposite  slope.  The  south  side  of  the  island  is  drier 
because  the  trade  winds  from  the  north,  which  bring  the 
rain,  first  strike  the  other  side  of  the  mountains,  and  the 
cold  air  sciueezes  out  most  of  the  moisture.  This  is  so 
in  all  the  West  Indies,  the  northern  sides  being  the  rainier. 

The  latter  part  of  our  journey  is  downhill,  but  the  slope 
is  so  gentle  in  places  that  we  release  the  brakes  and  let  our 
machines  fly  over  the  road,  without  using  the  motors  to 
carr\-  them  onward. 

Farther  on  we  come  to  the  lowlands,  and  are  again  in 
the  great  belt  of  sugar  cane  which  almost  encircles  Porto 
Rico.  The  black  earth  is  covered  with  a  rich  growth  of 
pale  green.  We  pass  many  sugar  factories,  their  smoke- 
stacks leaning,  as  it  were,  against  the  blue  sky,  and  we  see- 
gangs  of  men  at  work  cutting  the  cane.  At  last  we  reach 
Ponce  (p5n'sa),  the  commercial  center  of  this  side  of  the 
island.  It  is  a  flat,  Spanish  built  town  of  one  and  two 
storied  houses,  covered  with  stucco  and  painted  in  the 
brightest  of  colors.  It  lies  about  five  miles  from  the  har- 
bor, where  we  can  get  sh\\)s  that  will  take  us  to  Haiti. 

Before  leaving,  however,  wc  spend  some  time  mak- 
ing excursions  by  sea  to  the  islets  about  Porto  Rico,  and 


ACROSS   PORTO    RICO 


343 


on  pony  back  to  different  parts  of  the  mainland.  The 
chief  islets  are  Vieques  and  Culebra,  which  we  passed  on 
our  way  from  St.  Thomas  to  San  Juan  ;  and  the  Caja  de 
Muertos,  or  Chest  of  the  Dead,  off  the  south  coast,  and 
Mona  Island  near  the  west  coast,  both  noted  for  their 
phosphate  deposits.     The  only  habitable  island  is  Vieques. 


Pineapples. 

It  is  a  mountain  ridge  twenty-one  miles  long  and  six  milesV 
wide.     It  has  several  sugar  plantations  along  the    coast, 
and  its  hills  form  excellent  pastures. 

Our  trip  over  Porto  Rico  shows  us  that  it  is  wonderfully 
rich.  It  produces  all  kinds  of  vegetables,  and  .some  parts 
of  it  are  especially  good  for  sugar,  tobacco,  and  coffee. 
There  arc  farms   not  far  from  Ponce  which    raise  enor- 


344 


TIIK   WEST   INDIES 


mous  pineapples.  The 
orange  tree  grows  every- 
where, and  it  is  never 
disturbed  by  Jack  Frost. 
Along  the  coast  are  mil- 
lions of  cocoanut  trees, 
and  farther  back  are 
pastures,  upon  which 
feed  the  finest  of  cattle. 
There  are  now  fast 
steamers  from  San  Juan 
to  New  York,  and  many 
hundreds  of  thousands 
of  oranges,  grapefruits, 
and  pineapples  are  an- 
nually   shipped   by    the 

Gathering  cocoanuts.  p^^j^  RicaUS  tO  US.     We 

import  also  vast  quantities  of  their  tobacco  and  sugar,  and 
we  sell  them  almost  all  the  foreign  goods  that  they  buy. 
This  trade  now  amounts  to  many  millions  of  dollars  a  year. 


di^c 


55.     HAITI,    THE    ISLAND    OF   THE   TWO 
BLACK    REPUBLICS 


OUR  next  journey  is  to  a  country  where  most  of  the 
people  are  negroes.  It  is  the  island  of  Haiti,  com- 
prising the  two  countries  of  Haiti  and  the  Dominican 
Republic,  both  of  which  have  a  republican  form  of  gov- 
ernment, with  black  presidents  and  other  officials. 


IIAni,  THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  TWO   BLACK   RErUBLKS       345 

It  takes  us  less  than  a  day  to  steam  from  Ponce  to  the 
town  of  Santo  Domingo,  on  the  southern  coast  of  the 
island.  We  sail  westward,  cross  the  Mona  Passage,  and 
are  soon  coasting  along  the  shores  of  what  appears  to  be  a 
huge  mass  of  mountains  rising  steeply  from  the  water  and 
jumbled  together  in  all  sorts  of  shapes.  One  of  the  early 
explorers  on  his  return  to  England  was  asked  by  the  king 
what  Haiti  was  like.  In  reply  he  took  a  sheet  of  paper, 
crushed  it  up  in  his  hands  until  it  was  amass  of  wrinkles, 
and  then  threw  it  down  upon  the  table.  "  Haiti  is  like 
that,  your  Majesty,"  said  he,  —  "  all  mountains  and  valleys." 

And  so  it  is.  The  mountains  run  in  four  ranges  from 
west  to  east,  with  valleys  and  plains  between  them.  Their 
peaks  are  the  highest  of  the  West  Indies.  They  are  in 
fact  the  summits  of  the  subterranean  ridge  which,  extend- 
ing above  the  water,  forms  the  chief  islands  of  this  archi- 
pelago. With  the  glass  we  can  see  the  highest  mountain 
from  our  boat;  it  is  Loma  Tina,  not  far  from  Santo 
Domingo,  almost  two  miles  in  height. 

The  mountains  are  not  unlike  those  of  Porto  Rico,  as  we 
saw  them  from  the  sea,  save  that  they  are  more  rugged 
and  grander.  They  are  heavily  wooded,  with  dense  thick- 
ets of  ferns  on  the  summits.  There  are  clouds  resting 
upon  them  as  we  sail  along  the  coast,  and  we  can  see 
fleecy  masses  of  vapor  nestling  here  and  there  in  the  green 
laps  of  the  hills.  It  is  on  the  mountain  tops  that  the  rain- 
fall is  heaviest,  for  there  the  air  is  coldest  and  it  wrings 
the  most  water  from  the  trade  winds.  These  winds  blow 
against  the  northern  side  of  the  island,  and  therefore  that 
side  has  plenty  of  rain,  while  on  the  south  side  the  lower 
slopes  have   not  quite  enough.     There  are  many  rivers. 


346  TIIK    WKSr    INDIKS 

however,  nnd  on  the  whole  the  island  is  fairly  well 
watered. 

Haiti  is  naturally  rich.  Sugar  cane  grows  upon  it,  as 
well  as  anywhere  in  the  West  Indies;  and  coffee,  tobacco, 
and  cacao  thrive  on  the  slopes  of  the  mountains.  Its  for- 
ests are  especially  fine,  including  mahogany,  cedar,  and 
dyewoods ;  and  in  the  mountains  there  are  rich  deposits 
of  iron,  copper,  and  gold.  All  tropical  fruits  grow  here 
as  well  as  in  Porto  Rico,  and  the  country  might  be  a 
great  garden  if  its  people  were  as  industrious  as  we  are. 
Considering  its  natural  resources,  one  would  expect  to. find 
that  the  natives  were  exceedingly  prosperous.  They  are 
just  the  reverse.  Let  us  examine  into  their  history  and 
see  if  we  can  tell  why. 

Haiti  was  one  of  the  first  islands  discovered  by  Colum- 
bus, and  the  very  first  to  be  colonized.  When  Columbus 
landed  upon  it  in  1492,  he  described  it  as  like  the  most 
beautiful  provinces  of  Spain,  and  the  Indians  as  excellent 
people.  Speaking  of  it  to  the  king  and  queen  of  Spain, 
he  said  :  — 

"  I  swear  to  your  Majesties  there  is  not  in  the  world  a 
better  land  nor  a  better  people.  They  love  their  neighbors 
as  themselves,  and  their  discourse  is  ever  sweet  and  gentle, 
each  sentence  accompanied  with  a  smile.  Although  it  is 
true  that  they  are  naked,  yet  their  manners  are  decorous 
and  praiseworthy." 

The  next  year  after  this  some  Spanish  settlers  came  to 
the  island  and  founded  a  colony.  They  at  once  began  to 
oppress  the  natives  and  to  enslave  them.  They  forced  them 
to  work  in  the  mines  and  on  their  plantations  ;  and  when 
the  natives  objected,  they  beat  them  or  killed  them.     Colum- 


HAITI,  THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  TWO  BLACK   REPUBLICS       347 

bus  estimated  that  there  were  a  million  natives  in  Haiti  at 
the  time  of  his  landing,  but  the  Spaniards  treated  them  so 
badly  that  within  less  than  fifty  years  they  had  all  disap- 
peared. After  that  Haiti  was  almost  deserted.  The  plan- 
tations, which  had  been  cultivated  by  the  Indian  slaves, 
were  neglected,  and  the  cattle,  hogs,  and  dogs  ran  wild. 

A  little  later  the  buccaneers,  some  bands  of  French 
pirates  who  had  settled  on  the  island  of  Tortuga,  off  the 
western  end  of  Haiti,  gradually  came  across  and  took  pos- 
session of  that  part  of  the  country,  importing  negro  slaves 
to  work  their  plantations.  This  was  also  done  by  the 
Spaniards  in  other  parts  of  the  island,  and  within  a  few 
years  the  most  of  the  population  was  negro. 

The  western  part  of  Haiti  through  these  buccaneers 
became  a  French  possession,  and  when,  in  the  later  part 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  French  people  overthrew 
their  kings  in  the  great  revolution,  and  established  a  repub- 
lic, they  declared  that  the  slaves  of  Haiti  should  be  free. 

The  French  Republic  of  that  time  was  overthrown  by 
Napoleon  Bonaparte,  who  made  himself  Emperor.  Napo- 
leon did  not  believe  in  freedom,  and  he  ordered  that  the 
negroes  of  Haiti  be  brought  back  into  slavery.  They 
refused  to  submit,  and  fought  for  their  liberty  in  a  war 
which  ended  in  the  success  of  the  negroes,  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  negro  republic  with  negro  officers,  and  with 
laws  prohibiting  any  white  man  from  owning  land. 

This  was  early  in  the  last  century,  when  the  United 
States  was  still  a  young  nation.  Since  that  time  the 
western  part  of  Haiti  has  had  frequent  changes  of  gov- 
ernment. It  has  had  negro  emperors,  kings,  and  presi- 
dents, but  no  white  rulers.     It  has  had  many  revolutions, 


348  THE  wKsr  indiijs 

but  in  recent  years  it  has  been  a  republic,  and  so  we  find 
it  to-day. 

The  eastern  part  of  the  island,  where  wc  now  are, 
was  governed  by  Spain  about  three  hundred  years.  Slaves 
were  also  introduced  here,  but  many  of  them  married  into 
the  families  of  their  masters  and  with  the  few  Indians  who 
were  left,  so  that  the  population  is  now  made  up  of  negroes 
and  of  Spanish  and  Indian  mulattocs. 

For  a  time  this  part  ~of  the  island  was  part  of  the  repub- 
lic of  Haiti,  but  in  ICS44  it  became  independent,  under  the 
name  of  the  Dominican  Republic,  or  Santo  Domingo. 
Each  country  has  a  form  of  government  much  like  ours, 
with  a  congress  and  officials  elected  by  the  people.  Each 
has  its  president,  but  the  president  of  the  Dominican 
Republic  is  chosen  by  popular  vote,  while  the  president 
of  Haiti  is  elected  by  Congress.  In  both  countries  the 
blacks  own  the  lands  and  do  most  of  the  business. 

But  Santo  Domingo,  the  capital  of  the  Dominican  Re- 
public, lies  just  before  us.  We  can  see  the  spire  of  the 
cathedral  reaching  high  above  the  city  wall.  The  town 
is  like  a  city  of  the  Middle  Ages.  It  was  planned  by 
Columbus,  and  that  very  wall  was  built  centuries  ago. 

We  land,  and  with  a  mulatto  guide  who  speaks  English 
take  a  walk  through  the  streets.  How  shabby  and  dirty 
everything  is  !  The  houses  are  of  Spanish  style,  with 
immense  doors  and  windows.  They  are  close  to  the 
sidewalks,  and  we  can  look  in  as  we  go  along  the  streets. 
Some  are  built  around  courts,  so  that  they  appear  to  have 
a  garden  inside  the  house.  The  walls  are  of  the  brightest 
colors,  and  the  black  and  yellow  people  standing  against 
them  furnish  splendid  subjects  for  our  cameras. 


UAH  I,  'IIIK   ISLAND   OF  THE  TWO   lil.AfK    KKPUBLICS       349 

111  the  suburbs  are  mud  huts  thatched  with  straw  or 
palm  leaves,  with  poorly  dressed  men  and  women,  and 
half-naked  babies.  There  is  little  work  going  on,  and  all 
seem  shiftless  and  lazy.  There  are  negroes  everywhere. 
We  see  them  sitting  on  the  sidewalks,  on  the  doorsteps, 
and  standing  in  groups  here  and  there,  smoking  and  chat- 


ting.     The  language  is  Spanish.      The   people  have  the 
manners  of  Spain,  and  every  one  is  very  polite. 

We  visit  the  cathedral,  where  some  of  the  family  of 
Columbus  are  buried,  and  then  go  to  the  government 
offices.  The  officials  tell  us  that  the  Dominican  Repub- 
lic comprises  about  two  thirds  of  the  island.  It  has  an 
area  of  eighteen  thousand  square  miles,  and  just  about  as 
many  people  as  St.  Louis.  There  are  no  large  cities,  the 
chief  town  having  only  ten  thousand  inhabitants.     This  is 


350  Tin:  \vi;si   indues 

Santiago,  situated  in  a  rich  valley  north  of  the  central  part 
of  the  country,  and  connected  with  the  harbor  of  Puerto 
Plata,  the  principal  port  on  the  north  coast. 

Leaving  Santo  Domingo  by  steamer,  we  make  our  way 
along  the  southern  coast  of  the  island  to  its  western  end, 
and  turning  north  and  then  east,  pass  into  the  Gulf  of 
Gonaives  (go-na-ev')  and  come  to  anchor  at  Port  au  Prince, 
the  capital  of  the  Haitian  Republic. 

Port  au  Prince  is  much  larger  and  more  prosperous  than 
the  town  of  Santo  Domingo.  It  has  over  one  hundred 
thousand  people,  and  we  can  see  from  the  ships  in  the 
harbor  that  it  has  considerable  trade.  Haiti  exports  a 
great  deal  of  coffee,  sugar,  and  cotton.  It  produces  every- 
thing raised  in  the  tropics,  and  also  some  fruits  of  the  tem- 
perate zone,  such  as  peaches,  strawberries,  and  blackberries. 

As  we  go  through  the  streets  we  meet  but  few  whites. 
The  chief  merchants,  lawyers,  and  doctors  are  colored. 
There  are  colored  policemen,  colored  soldiers,  and  colored 
customs  officials,  all  dressed  in  gay  uniforms.  The  repub- 
lic has  about  two  million  inhabitants,  and  of  these,  nearly 
all  are  of  African  descent. 

How  well  dressed  some  of  the  black  people  are  and 
how  fine  they  look  !  The  men  are  straight,  tall,  and  well 
formed.  They  are  polite,  and  we  are  surprised  to  observe 
that  most  of  them  speak  only  P>ench.  They  speak  it  well, 
too.  Many  children  of  the  better  classes  are  sent  to  Paris 
to  be  educated,  and  French  is  the  language  of  the  schools. 
It  is  also  used  in  the  government  ofifices  and  in  the  stores. 
The  poorer  people  speak  a  mixture  of  French  and  the 
native  language. 

Port  au  Prince  has  wide  streets  which  cross  one  another 


HAITI,    rilK    ISI.AXI)    OF  TTIE   TWO    ULACK    KKPL'm.ICS      35  I 


"Along  the  road  are  cabins  in  which  the  poor  people  live. 

at  right  angles.  It  has  some  stone  and  brick  houses  and 
many  of  wood.  On  the  edge  of  the  city  are  villas  with 
palms  and  other  trees  about  them,  and  in  the  town  busi- 
ness buildings  and  large  frame  structures  containing  the 
government  offices. 

We  take  carriages  for  a  drive  out  into  the  countrv.  Our 
black  coachman  takes  us  rapidly  through  the  dust  up  hill 
and  down.  We  go  by  many  small  farms  and  now  and  then 
a  large  estate  owned  by  a  black.  Along  the  road  are 
cabins  or  shacks  in  which  the  poor  people  live  ;  many  of 
them  are  shiftless  and  livs-J^^om  hand  to  mouth. 

In  the  far  interior  the  people  are  ignorant  and  supersti- 
tious, and  in  the  mountains  some  are  said  to  be  almost 
as  barbarous  as  the  savages  of  Central  Africa.  They 
believe  in  witches  and  spirits,  and  it  is  charged  that  they 
sometimes  have  human  sacrifices. 
oi'R  c(H.()Nu-:s  —  21 


352  TlIK    WKST   INDIES 


56.     JAMAICA 

WK  arc  still  in  a  land  of  the  blacks.  Jamaica  is  a 
British  possession,  but  its  people  are  almost  all 
negroes.  It  was  discovered  by  Columbus  about  two  years 
after  he  had  first  set  foot  upon  these  islands.  It  was 
settled  by  the  Spaniards  who  held  it  for  about  a  century 
and  a  half,  when  the  l^rilish  took  possession  of  it  by  con- 
quest. The  Spaniards  oppressed  the  Indians  so  that  they 
all  died  off,  and  at  the  time  the  British  came  the  island 
was  almost  deserted. 

The  l^ritish  soon  bci^an  to  see  the  value  of  Jamaica 
for  sugar,  and  they  set  out  plantations,  importing  negro 
slaves  bv  the  thousands  to  work  them.  There  were  more 
than  three  hundred  thousand  slaves  here  at  the  beginning 
of  the  last  century,  at  which  timethe  slave  trade  was 
abolished,  and  after  that  the  freed  slaves  and  their  children 
formed  the  most  of  the  population.  There  are  about 
a  million  people  in  the  island  of  Jamaica,  and  of  these 
all  but  a  few  thousand  are  colored.  There  are  fifteen  thou- 
sand whites  and  also  about  fifteen  thousand  Ivast  Indians, 
who  have  been  brought  in  to  \vork  upon  the  {plantations. 

Let  us  take  a  look  at  the  map  and  see  what  a  valuable 
position  Jamaica  has  in  the  Caribbean  Sea.  It  is  just  south 
of  the  Windward  Passage  between  Cuba  and  Haiti,  where 
almost  all  the  ships  going  between  the  Panama  Canal  and 
Europe,  and  also  between  the  Canal  and  our  Atlantic 
states,  must  })ass.  The  island  has  excellent  harbors,  and 
it  is  so  situated  that  vessels  can  stop  here  on  their  way  for 
coal  and  supplies. 


JAMAICA  353 

The  principal  harbor  is  Port  Royal,  in  front  of  Kingston, 
the  capital,  wiicrc  wc  now  arc.  The  water  is  so  deep  here 
that  the  largest  ocean  steamers  can  call.  There  at  our 
right  is  a  ship  bound  for  Boston  with  a  cargo  of  oranges, 
bananas,  and  pineapples,  and  on  the  left  one  is  coming  in 
from  England  with  goods  for  the  natives.  It  will  probably 
take  back  sugar,  coffee,  ginger,  and  other  native  products. 

Jamaica  is  by  no  means  small.  It  is  larger  than  Porto 
Rico,  and  is  the  largest  of  the  British  possessions  in  this 
archipelago. 

The  island  has  great  natural  resources.  It  is  mountain- 
ous, but  the  vegetation  extends  to  the  highest  peaks,  and 
there  are  many  rich  valleys  and  coastal  plains  devoted  to 
sugar.  Fine  coffee  is  raised  on  the  highlands,  and  tropi- 
cal fruits  are  found  almost  everywhere.  Fruit  pays  better 
than  anything  else,  oranges,  bananas,  and  pineapples  being 
annually  exported  to  the  United  States. 

Jamaica  has  orchards  of  cacao,  nutmeg,  cinnamon,  and 
allspice  trees.  The  allspice  is  an  evergreen  tree,  which 
grows  to  the  height  of  thirty  feet.  It  has  berries  about 
the  size  of  a  pea,  each  of  which  contains  two  round,  dark 
brown  seeds  which  taste  like  nutmegs,  cinnamon,  and 
cloves  ground  up  together.  The  berries  are  picked  green 
and  dried  in  the  sun,  after  which  they  look  like  black 
pepper.  They  are  valuable  for  flavoring  pickles,  pastry, 
and  cake. 

Another  export  is  ginger.  This  plant  is  grown  in  small 
patches.  The  roots  are  broken  up  and  set  out  much  like 
potatoes.  They  sprout  rapidly,  sending  out  stalks  covered 
with  leaves  from  one  to  three  feet  in  height.  When  the 
stalks  are  withered,  the  new  roots  are  full  grown  and  ready 


354 


nil-;  \\i;si    iM)ii:s 


for  digging;.  Tlicy  are  taken  out,  rleaned,  and  scaUlctl  in 
boiling  water.  y\fter  this  they  are  spread  out  in  the  sun 
to  dry  and  then  packed  up  for  export  to  our  country  and 
Europe.  Ginger  is  valuable  for  medicine,  for  making  pre- 
serves, and  also  for  the  gingerbread,  cookies,  aiid  snaps 
we  all  like  so  much. 

We   enjoy   our   travels  in  Jamaica.      Every  one  si)eaks 
English,   and    we   can  stop  and  talk  to  the  colored  boys 


"We  stay  one  dsy  in  Kingston." 

and  girls  wherever  we  go.  We  stay  one  day  in  Kingston, 
taking  a  carriage  and  driving  about  the  town.  Many  of  its 
houses  are  of  )ellow  brick,  with  stores  on  the  ground  floors 
and  high  steps  leading  to  the  second  stories,  where  most 
of  the  people  live.  W^e  drive  out  to  the  parade  ground  to 
watch  the  drill.  The  soldiers  are  fine-looking  colored  men, 
wearing  red  turbans,  white  jackets,  and  blue  trousers. 


JAMAICA  355 

Like  all  P^nglish  islands,  Jamaica  is  well  governed,  and 
its  larger  cities  have  modern  improvements.  Kingston  has 
electric  lights  and  an  electric  railroad,  and  it  is  connected 
with  all  parts  of  the  island  by  telegraph.  Jamaica  has  one 
thousand  government  schools  where  children  are  taught 
free.  It  has  short  railroads  and  good  country  roads.  We 
can  go  by  carriage  to  any  part  of  it,  and  on  horseback  to 
the  very  tops  of  the  mountains. 

One  of  our  pleasantest  experiences  is  such  an  excursion. 
We  leave  Kingston  and  ride  through  sugar  plantations, 
past  many  small  farms  including  fields  of  bananas  and 
coffee,  and  then  climb  up  the  hills  into  the  clouds.  The 
higher  summits  of  the  Blue  Mountains  are  always  veiled 
in  clouds.  There  are  little  clouds  on  their  sides  through 
which  we  sometimes  ride,  coming  out  to  find  the  sun  shin- 
ing brightly  on  the  upper  side. 

The  views  are  magnificent.  As  we  ascend  we  can  see 
the  Caribbean  Sea  far  below  us,  with  the  ocean  steamers 
going  in  and  out  of  Port  Royal  apparently  no  larger  than 
canoes.  The  buildings  of  Kingston  now  look  like  toys, 
and  the  little  farm  huts  are  mere  spots  on  the  landscape. 

The  vegetation  changes  as  we  go  upward.  In  the  low- 
lands are  groves  of  cocoanut  palms,  higher  up  there  are 
forests  with  many  orchids  and  long  hanging  creepers,  while 
on  the  top  are  fern  beds  and  groves  of  tree  ferns.  At  this 
altitude  most  mountains  are  barren,  but  here  the  moisture 
is  so  great  that  everything  is  the  greenest  of  green. 

Now  we  have  descended  the  mountains  and  are  again 
in  the  lowlands.  We  stop  at  a  cabin  made  of  mud  with 
a  thatched  root,  and  talk  with  the  people.  They  are 
negroes    as    jolly    and    good-natured    as    our    negroes    at 


356 


TIIK    WKSr    INDIKS 


home.      The  children    bring    oranges    and    bananas,  and 
ask  us  to  buy. 

There  are  many  women  at  work  in  the  fields,  and  in 
some  places  we  observe  them  breaking  stones  on  the  road. 
They  seem  to  do  more  work  than  the  men.  They  cut 
sugar  cane,  hoe  corn,  and  carry  great  bundles. 


"The  women  seem  to  do  more  work  than  the  men." 

As  we  return  to  the  city  we  see  many  women  bringing 
fruit  and  vegetables  into  Kingston  on  donkeys  and  on  their 
heads.  We  visit  the  market  to  get  a  supply  of  fresh  fruit 
before  going  on  board.  Here  most  of  the  peddlers  are 
women,  and  It  is  a  woman  porter  who  carries  our  pine- 
apples, bananas,  and  oranges  to  the  ship.  She  puts  the 
whole  in  a  basket  which  she  lifts  to  the  top  of  her  head  and 
goes  off  on  a  trot.  We  follow  behind,  and  in  a  short  time 
are  again  on  the  steamer,  ready  for  our  voyage  to  Cuba. 


CUBA,   THE    PEARL   OF   THE   ANTILLES  357 


57.  CUBA,  THE  PEARL  OF  THE  ANTILLES 

WE  are  now  to  visit  the  largest,  richest,  and  most 
valuable  island  of  the  West  Indies,  an  island  which 
the  Spaniards  called  "  The  Pearl  of  the  Antilles,"  and  one 
so  important  to  us  that  we  have  to  a  certain  extent  taken 
it  under  our  protection.  This  is  Cuba,  so  situated  that  it 
commands  the  two  entrances  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  by 
the  Strait  of  Florida  and  the  Yucatan  Channel,  and  also  the 
Windward  Passage,  which  is  the  chief  entrance  from  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  Caribbean  Sea.  If  the  entrances 
to  the  Gulf  were  shut  off,  it  would  disturb  the  commerce 
of  our  southern  states  and  of  the  whole  Mississippi  valley, 
and  the  closing  of  the  Windward  Passage  would  be  of 
great  damage  to  our  trade  with  South  America  and  that 
which  comes  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama. 

Cuba  is  so  important  to  the  United  States  that  in  our 
treaty  relations  we  have  provided  that  the  island  shall 
never  make  any  agreement  with  any  foreign  power  which 
might  endanger  its  independence,  that  it  shall  not  incur 
foreign  debts  beyond  what  its  current  revenues  can  easily 
pay,  and  that  it  shall  not  do  anything  that  might  affect  us 
or  our  trade. 

We  have  also  the  right  to  establish  naval  stations  on 
the  island,  and,  on  the  whole,  our  relations  with  it  are 
such  that,  although  it  is  an  independent  republic,  it  is 
generally  looked  upon  as  a  dependency  of  the  United 
States,  and  many  think  that  it  will  some  day  ask  to  be 
admitted  to  the  Union. 

Notice  the  shape  of  the  island   as  it  lies  on  the  map. 


CUBA,   THE    PEARL   OE  THE   ANTILLES 


359 


The  Spaniards  compared  it  to  a  bird's  tongue,  with  the 
root  in  the  Caribbean  Sea  and  the  tip  just  licking  the 
Yucatan  Channel.  How  long  and  how  narrow  it  is,  and 
how  winding  its  coast!  If  the  coast  line  could  be  stretched 
out,  it  would  be  longer  than  the  distance  from  Boston  to 
San  Francisco  and  back,  and  on  every  part  of  it  there  are 
excellent  harbors,  so  that 
it  is  easy  to  export  the 
products  by  sea. 

Now  look  again  at 
the  map.  Cuba  is  like 
a  cornucopia,  or  horn  of 
plenty,  and  this  word 
just  describes  it.  It  is 
the  most  fertile  of  all 
the  West  Indies.  It  has 
no  deserts,  no  barren 
hills,  and  only  a  few 
large  swamps.  Much  of 
it  is  still  wild,  but  almost 
the  whole  can  be  tilled. 
The  eastern  part  is 
mountainous,  but  the 
mountains  are  green  to  cocoanut  paims. 

their  tops,  and  they  have  valuable  forests  and  minerals. 
The  middle  is  made  up  of  gently  sloping  plains,  upon 
which  are  the  largest  and  richest  sugar  fields  of  the  world, 
and  in  the  west  are  picturesque  mountains  with  beautiful  val- 
leys, where  is  produced  the  finest  tobacco  known  to  man. 

The  whole  island  is  covered  with  a  luxuriant  vegetation. 
It  has  more  than  three  thousand  native  plants  and  millions 


360  TIIK    WKSr    INDIES 

of  acres  of  valuable  forests.  It  has  twenty-six  varieties  of 
palms,  the  finest  of  mahogany  and  dyewoods,  and  also 
trees  bearing  tropical  fruits.  There  are  flowers  every- 
where ;  and  beautiful  birds,  including  different  varieties  of 
parrots,  are  found  in  the  woods.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
the  Spaniards  thought  it  a  jewel .-' 

Cuba  was  discovered  by  Columbus,  and  settled  by  the 
Spaniards.  When  Columbus  first  came,  it  had  several 
hundred  thousand  Indians,  ruled  by  nine  independent 
chiefs.  The  Indians  had  slight  forms  and  pleasant  faces, 
and  the  explorers  said  they  were  a  good  people.  They 
were  gentle  and  friendly.  They  had  huts  as  well  built  as 
those  of  the  poorer  Cubans  of  to-day,  and  near  them  little 
farms,  where  they  cultivated  cotton,  pineapples,  tobacco, 
manioc,  and  Indian  corn.  The  Spaniards  enslaved  them, 
and  treated  them  so  cruelly  that  they  soon  disappeared. 

After  that,  negro  slaves  were  imported  to  take  the  place 
of  the  Indians,  about  a  million  negroes  being  brought  over 
from  Africa  for  this  purpose.  Then  the  slaves  were  freed, 
and  they,  \vith  their  descendants,  form  a  large  part  of  the 
population  of  the  island  to-day. 

Cuba  has  now  more  than  two  and  one  half  million  peo- 
ple, including  whites,  blacks,  and  mulattoes.  The  whites 
are  mostly  the  descendants  of  the  Spaniards.  There  are 
more  of  them  than  any  of  the  others,  and  they  form  the 
ruling  class,  owning  most  of  the  land.  They  include  emi- 
grants from  Spain  and  other  parts  of  Southern  Europe, 
and  also  Americans,  Germans,  English,  and  French.  The 
blacks  are  the  descendants  of  the  slaves,  and  the  mulattoes 
come  from  the  negroes  who  have  intermarried  with  the 
whites,  and   also  with  the  Chinese  who  were   brought  in 


CUBA,  THE   PEARL  OF   THE   ANIILLES 


361 


years  ago  to  work  on  the  plantations.  Many  of  the  whites 
are  wealthy  and  well  educated.  Some  are  graduates  of 
the  best  of  our  colleges,  and  others  have  studied  in  Europe. 
Spanish  is  the  language  used  everywhere ;  but  many  of 
the  people  speak  English,  as  well,  and  we  shall  have  no 
trouble  in  traveling  about. 


Sugar  plantation. 

We  leave  Port  Royal  in  the  morning,  and  shortly  after 
dinner  get  our  first  sight  of  Cuba.  There  are  cocoanut 
trees  lining  the  shore,  and  behind  them  are  great  moun- 
tains, rolling  one  over  the  other,  their  tops  in  the  clouds. 

We  make  our  way  slowly  along  between  Haiti  and 
Cuba,  sailing  over  the  very  spot  where  our  fleet  con- 
quered that  of  Spain  during  the  .Spanish-American  War, 
and  staying  for  a  few  hours  at  Santiago. 

We  can  see  nothing  of  Santiago  until  we  come  into  the 


362  THE    WEST    INDIF.S 

harbor.  The  channel  is  narrow,  and  we  have  to  wind  this 
way  and  that  to  get  through.  VV^e  cross  the  place  where 
Hobson  sank  the  Mcrrimac,  go  by  Morro  Castle,  a  great 
fort  on  a  bluff  at  the  right,  and  finally  anchor  in  front  of 
a  city  of  white  buildings,  witii  roofs  of  red  tiles,  backed 
by  smoky  blue  mountains.  It  is  Santiago,  the  chief  city 
of  eastern  Cuba. 

The  buildings  are  small  and  of  the  Spanish  style, 
making  us  think  of  Madeira.  They  are  usually  of  one  or 
two  stories,  close  to  the  street,  with  walls  painted  in  all 
the  colors  of  the  rainbow.  Many  of  them  have  large  win- 
dows, with  iron  bars,  so  that  they  look  much  like  prisons. 
They  have  heavy  barred  doors. 

We  shop  awhile  at  the  stores,  and  then  return  to  the 
wharves,  where  we  watch  the  ships  taking  on  copper  and 
iron  ore  from  the  mountains  near  by.  The  ore  is  brought 
by  train  and  boat  to  Santiago,  and  thence  exported  to  the 
United  States  and  Europe. 

We  are  still  looking  on  when  the  steamer  whistles  its 
warning  to  leave.  We  hurry  on  board,  and  soon  find  our- 
selves out  at  sea,  some  distance  from  land.  We  sail  for 
a  time  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  and  then,  rounding 
Cape  Maisi,  turn  to  the  northwest  and  steam  along  until 
at  last  we  come  to  the  port  of  Havana. 

58.     HAVANA 

WE    are    in    Havana,    a   city   of   over   three   hundred 
thousand,  situated  on  a  plain  about  a  beautiful  har- 
bor.    It  is  the  capital  of  Cuba,  and  the  largest  city  of  the 


HAVANA 


363 


West  Indies.  How  gay  everything  is  !  The  tropical  sun 
beats  down  upon  the  bright-colored  houses.  Its  rays  are 
dancing  on  the  roofs  of  red  tiles,  and  on  walls  of  red,  sky- 
blue,  rose-pink,  and  cream-yellow,  dazzling  our  eyes  and 
making  us  think  of  a  kaleidoscope  rather  than  a  great 
business  city. 


Street  scene,  Havana. 

We  land  and  make  our  way  through  one  narrow  street 
after  another.  We  go  through  the  Prado,  in  the  center  of 
which  is  a  wide  promenade  with  two  rows  of  trees  on  each 
side,  where  the  people  walk  in  the  cool  of  the  evening. 
Here  and  there  are  squares  or  plazas  filled  with  trees, 
with  seats  under  them,  on  which  people  are  sitting.  We 
pass  many  fine  buildings,  including  the  government 
palace,  the  cathedral,  the  theater,  and  the  large  hotels. 

The  most  of  the  buildings  are  low,  one-storied  structures, 
although  in  the  best  business  and  residence  sections  we  find 


364  THE    WESr    INDIES 

some  of  two  and  three  stories.  The  houses  are  made  of 
<;reat  blocks  of  stone  covered  with  stucco.  They  have 
enormous  doors  and  windows,  some  so  barred  with  iron 
that  the  people  behind  them  appear  to  be  looking  out  of 
a  prison.  They  are  of  the  Spanish  order :  each  house  built 
around  a  court  or  patio,  which  contains  plants  and  flowers, 
and  sometimes  a  fountain.  It  is  in  the  patios  that  the 
people  sit  and  chat  in  the  cool  of  the  evening.  The  rooms 
are  large  and  the  ceilings  high  ;  the  floors  are  of  marble, 
bricks,  or  porcelain  tiles.  It  is  so  warm  in  Havana  that 
great  care  is  taken  to  keep  cool. 

We  spend  some  time  in  the  stores.  They  open  out  on 
the  street,  the  whole  front  in  some  cases  being  taken  away 
during  the  daytime,  so  that  they  remind  us  of  the  bazaars 
we  saw  in  the  far  eastern  islands.  There  are  but  few  large 
establishments  such  as  we  have  at  home,  although  many 
stores  which  look  small  have  warehouses  behind,  packed 
with  fine  goods. 

Only  a  few  of  us  speak  Spanish,  and  although  there  are 
manv  Americans  in  Havana,  it  is  necessary  to  have  an  in- 
terpreter to  make  ourselves  understood.  The  Cubans  are 
polite,  and  the  moment  they  learn  we  are  Americans,  they 
are  more  polite  than  ever,  for  they  look  upon  us  as  their 
brothers  and  sisters.  The  United  States  buys  far  more  of 
their  products  than  any  other  country,  and  in  return  the 
Cubans  purchase  from  us  much  of  their  food,  clothing, 
machinery,  farm  tools,  and  other  things. 

Most  of  our  explorations  are  in  the  morning  and  evening, 
for  we  adopt  Cuban  customs  during  our  stay.  For  instance, 
•I  would  be  foolish  to  try  to  do  business  at  noon,  for  at  that 
time  the  stores  and  business  places  are  shut.     The  Cubans 


HAVANA  3G5 

take  only  a  cup  of  coffee,  a  roll,  and  perhaps  some  fruit 
upon  rising ;  they  do  not  have  a  substantial  breakfast  until 
about  eleven  o'clock,  after  which  they  enjoy  a  nap  or  a 
chat  with  their  friends,  not  returning  to  work  until  one 
o'clock,  or  possibly  later.  Their  dinners  are  much  like 
ours,  and  are  served  in  the  evening  when  the  day's  work 
is  over.  After  dinner  they  walk  or  drive  out,  or  stay  at 
home  with  their  families,  sitting  on  the  balconies  or  in 
the  patios,  enjoying  the  air. 

We  have  friends  in  Havana,  and  through  them  meet 
some  of  the  better  class  people.  Their  homes  are  beauti- 
fully furnished,  and  quite  as  comfortable  as  our  own.  Our 
friends  speak  Spanish,  English,  and  French,  and  through 
them  we  learn  that  many  Cubans  are  sent  to  the  United 
States  or  Europe  to  be  educated.  This  is  so,  notwithstand- 
ing there  are  now  good  schools  in  Havana,  and  common 
schools  almost  everywhere  throughout  Cuba,  a  large  num- 
ber having  been  established  since  the  Spanish-American 
War.  Havana  has  colleges  and  a  university,  and  it  has 
girls'  schools  of  all  kinds.  Many  of  the  lower  classes  are 
still  very  ignorant,  and  comparatively  few  can  read  and 
write.  They  are  improving,  however ;  and  now  that  they 
are  free,  their  condition  will  grow  better  and  better. 

We  enjoy  our  strolls  about  the  city  by  moonlight.  There 
are  thousands  in  the  plazas,  on  the  streets,  and  in  the  cafes. 
There  are  gay  carriages,  and  men  upon  horseback.  The 
Cubans  are  fond  of  music,  and  we  hear  pianos,  guitars,  and 
singing  almost  everywhere. 

On  Sunday  we  go  to  the  cathedral.  The  women  present 
are  dressed  in  black,  with  black  lace  shawls  called  mantillas 
wrapped  around   their  heads  and   falling  down  over  the 


366  TIIK    WKS'I     INDIKS 

shouUlcrs.  Rlac"k  is  the  color  used  b\-  the  women  of  the 
better  classes  on  the  streets,  although  ihey  wear  all  sorts 
of  gay  colors  at  home. 

We  spend  one  morning  in  the  market,  and  find  it  crowded 
with  all  sorts  of  people,  buying  and  selling.  There  are 
a  thousand  different  stalls,  and  many  thousand  customers. 
We  count  eighty  different  kinds  of  game,  twenty  varieties 
of  potatoes,  and  sweet  potatoes,  and  then  go  on  to  the  tropi- 
cal fruits,  which  are  sold  in  large  quantities.  We  buy  a  ripe 
pineapple  for  five  cents,  eat  bananas  which  almost  melt  in 
our  mouths,  and  orange  after  orange  until  we  can  not  eat 
more.  We  have  tasted  Cuban  oranges  before  and  have 
learned  to  eat  them  as  the  Cubans  do.  We  find  them  for 
sale  on  every  street  corner,  and  the  peddler  fixes  the  fruit 
for  us.  He  pares  off  the  skin  with  a  sharp  knife  much  as 
we  pare  an  apple,  taking  off  every  white  particle  and  just 
breaking  the  little  globules  within.  He  then  sticks  a  fork 
into  the  orange  and  hands  it  to  us.  We  suck  out  the 
juice,  rolling  the  oranges  around  as  we  do  so.  This  is 
the  way  our  oranges  are  served  with  every  breakfast.  We 
like  it  so  well  we  shall  advise  our  friends  to  try  it  at 
home. 

Before  leaving  Havana  we  visit  the  President  and  Vice 
President,  and  also  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representa- 
tives. Cuba  is  now  a  republic.  The  country  is  divided 
into  six  provinces  or  states,  and  its  people  elect  their  own 
ofificers.  We  learn  that  it  is  far  better  off  than  it  was 
under  the  Spaniards.  The  cities  are  cleaner  and  more 
healthful.  New  railroads  are  being  built.  The  wild  lands 
are  being  reclaimed,  and  the  people  are  improving  in  civi- 
lization and  wealth. 


UN   THE    SUCIAR   AND   TOliACCC)    I'LANTAllONS  367 

59.     ON    THE    SUGAR   AND    TOBACCO 
PLANTATIONS 

WE  have  left  Havana  and  are  slowly  making  our  way 
through  some  of  the  country  districts  of  Cuba.  We 
have  visited  all  the  large  cities.  We  have  stayed  awhile 
at  Matanzas  and  Cardenas,  important  sugar  ports  on  the 
north  coast,  east  of  Havana,  and  crossed  the  island  to 
the  great  sugar  market  at  Cienfuegos  (se-en-fwa'gos)  on 
the  south.  We  rested  awhile  at  Santa  Clara  and  Cama- 
guey,  thriving  cities  on  the  central  plain,  and  are  now 
going  back  to  Havana. 

What  a  beautiful  island  this  is,  and  how  rich  the  soil ! 
Outside  Havana  we  saw  acres  of  pineapples,  the  great 
red  balls  sprouting  out  of  the  earth,  surrounded  by  long, 
prickly  green  leaves.  We  have  ridden  through  fields  of 
banana  trees  loaded  with  fruit,  and  everywhere  we  go 
there  are  great  palms  standing  out  alone  on  the  landscape, 
or  forming  the  avenues  to  some  rich  planter's  house. 
Cuba  has  twenty-six  varieties  of  palm  trees,  including  the 
royal  palm,  the  most  beautiful  known  to  man,  and  the 
cocoanut  palm,  whose  green  nuts  give  us  a  drink  every 
time  we  ride  through  the  country.  There  are  pastures  on 
which  fat  cattle  are  feeding,  and  many  sugar  plantations. 

Central  Cuba  is  little  more  than  a  vast  sugar  estate 
divided  up  into  large  and  small  farms.  Here  they  are 
plowing  the  fields  with  machine  plows,  and  there  the 
same  work  is  done  by  oxen  which  pull  the  plows  along 
by  yokes  attached  to  their  horns.  There  are  thousands 
of    colored  people  at  work.     We  see  them   planting  the 


368  THE  WEST   INDIES 

cane,  just  as  in  llawaii  and  ja\a,  l)ut  arc  lold  that  the  soil 
is  so  rich  here  that  the  j)lanting"  need  be  done  only  once 
every  five  or  six  years  ;  and  that  if  the  cane  be  properly  cut, 
a  new  crop  will  sprout  out  from  the  old  stalks  even  longer. 

Cuba  is  said  to  have  better  sugar  soil  than  any  other 
country.  The  land  is  not  fertilized,  but  nevertheless  it 
yields  more  cane  sugar  than  any  other  island,  and,  at 
times,  produces  as  much  as  two  billion  pounds  in  one  year. 
Sugar  cane  was  introduced  about  twenty-five  years  after 
the  landing  of  Columbus,  and  Cuba  has  had  sugar  planta- 
tions from  that  time  to  this. 

Many  of  the  sugar  estates  are  owned  by  wealthy  men, 
who  employ  large  capital  to  run  them.  Some  have  mills 
which  grind  a  thousand  tons  of  cane  in  twenty-four  hours, 
and  some  estates  have  railroads  upon  them  to  carry  the 
cane  from  the  fields  to  the  factory.  Some  have  so  many 
laborers  that  the  houses  on  one  estate  form  a  little  town. 
We  see  many  women  among  the  workers.  They  are  plant- 
ing, hoeing,  and  cutting  the  cane  ;  the  overseers  tell  us  they 
work  quite  as  well  as  the  men.  Some  plantations  have 
nurseries,  where  the  babies  and  little  children  are  watched 
over  by  the  old  women,  while  their  mothers  are  at  work  in 
the  fields. 

Cuba  grows  better  tobacco  than  any  other  country  of  the 
world.  This  plant  will  thrive  in  any  part  of  the  island, 
but  the  best  varieties  are  raised  in  the  mountainous  prov- 
ince of  Pinar  del  Rio  (pe-nar'  del  re'o),  west  of  Havana, 
where  there  is  a  strip  of  land  about  eighty  miles  long  and 
twenty  miles  wide  which  produces  the  finest  tobacco  of  the 
world.  It  is  so  fine  that  it  commands  very  high  prices,  the 
choicest  leaves  bringing  as  much  as  four  dollars  a  pound. 


ON   THE    SUCAR    AND    TOIIACCO    PLANTATIONS  369 


Tobacco  field. 


Tobacco  is  usually  raised  on  small  farms,  for  it  requires 
great  care  and  labor.  The  plants  are  grown  in  beds,  from 
seeds  so  small  that  you  could  hold  more  than  a  thousand  of 
them  in  one  hand.  The  seeds  are  sown  in  September, 
and  in  six  or  seven  weeks  the  plants  are  about  eight 
inches  high  and  ready  to  be  set  out.  This  work  must  be 
done  with  great  care,  and  by  hand.  After  this  they  are 
well  cultivated,  and  are  pruned  with  the  thumb  nail,  as 
this  is  less  liable  to  injure  them  than  a  knife.  About 
January  they  are  almost  ripe.  They  have  grown  as  tall 
as  a  man,  and  their  dark  green  leaves  are  turning  yellow. 

The  stalks  are  now  cut  into  sections  of  two  leaves  each, 
and  the  sections  are  hung  on  poles  and  carried  to  the 
drying  sheds,  where  they  remain  until  properly  cured. 
After  this  the  leaves  are  fermented  and  then  made  up 


OUR   Cot.ONIES 


370  THE    WEST    IXKIKS 

into  bundles.  The  InuuUes  are  jxacked  uj"»  in  bales  of  one 
hundred  ten  pounds  each,  and  are  thus  shipped  to  all 
parts  of  the  world.  About  eij^hty  thousand  people  are 
employed  in  cultivating  Cuban  tobacco,  and  in  the  fac- 
tories of  Havana  and  other  cities  a  vast  number  are 
engaged  in  manufacturing  it  into  cigars  and  cigarettes. 
The  crop  amounts  to  many  million  dollars  a  year. 


o>9<<' 


60.  THE  BAHAMAS  AND  THE  BERMUDAS 

WE  sail  from  Havana  to  the  northeast,  going  so  close 
to  Florida  that  we  can  see  the  coast  with  our 
glasses.  The  air  is  warm,  and  the  w^ater  is  warmer  than 
the  air,  for  we  are  traveling  through  the  Gulf  Stream,  that 
warm  ocean  current  which  flows  between  banks  of  cold 
water  through  the  straits  of  Florida  along  our  Atlantic 
coast.  There  is  much  seaweed  floating  in  it,  and  we  try 
in  vain  to  catch  some  by  throwing  lines  out  at  the  stern  of 
our  steamer. 

How  blue  the  water  is,  and  how  beautiful !  It  is  smooth 
most  of  the  time,  and  our  ship  cuts  its  way  through  it, 
leaving  a  long  track  behind.  Now  we  are  approaching 
the  Bahamas,  a  group  of  many  little  coral  islands  belong- 
ing to  Great  Britain.  They  have  all  together  an  area  about 
the  size  of  Connecticut,  and  a  population  of  only  a  few 
thousand  souls.  It  was  upon  one  of  them,  San  Salvador, 
that  Columbus  landed  when  he  discovered  the  new  world. 

We  pass  the  green  island  of  Andros  and  a  little  later 
see  the  palm  trees  of   New  Providence  rising  above  the 


THF    RATTAMAS    AND    THE    P.KRMl'DAS 


371 


white  buildings  on  the  harbor  of  Nassau.  y\ndros  is  the 
largest  of  the  Bahamas,  but  New  Providence  is  the  most 
important,  Nassau  being  the  caj)ital. 

We  land  and  stroll  about  the  town,  admiring  its  cozy 
houses  and  beautiful  gardens.  Most  of  the  people  we 
meet  are  blacks  and  mu- 
lattoes,  although  there 
are  some  whites,  includ- 
ing many  English  and 
Americans  who  have 
come  here  for  their 
health  on  account  of 
the  climate. 

We  find  the  hotel 
comfortable,  and  after 
a  good  dinner  take  car- 
riages for  a  drive  over 
the  island.  We  visit 
the  Queen's  Staircase, 
a  flight  of  huge  steps 
cut  out  of  the  solid  rock 
from  one  of  the  forts 
down  to  the  beach,  and 
in  the  evening  take  a  ride  on  the  "  Lake  of  Fire,"  not  far 
from  the  city.  We  have  all  seen  lightning  bugs  fly  through 
the  air.  In  this  lake  there  are  many  little  organisms  which 
might  be  called  the  lightning  bugs  of  the  sea,  for  they  .seem 
to  coat  the  water  with  fire.  At  times,  when  the  lake  is 
quiet,  there  is  no  light  whatever ;  but  at  others,  when  it  is 
moving,  these  little  organisms  emit  light  just  like  the  light- 
ning  bug,  and    the  water  seems   to    be  tlaniing.      As  our 


Bahama  children. 


372 


Till'.    WKST    INDIKS 


boat  moves,  it  leaves  a  trail  (»t  lire,  ami  when  a  boatman 
dives  down  into  the  water,  he  is  apparent!)'  outlined  in 
Hames. 

Much  of  our  stay  in  the  Bahamas  is  spent  upon  the  sea. 
The  water  is  exceedino^ly  clear,  and  boats  with  bottoms 
of  ])late  class  have  been  constructed  so  that  we  can  look 
down  from  them  and  observe  the  fishes  swimminjr  about. 


."^^""^ 


Sorting  sponges 

We  also  see  great  sponges  lying  here  and  there  on 
the  rocks.  Off  the  Bahamas  are  the  best  sponge  fishing 
grounds  of  the  world,  as  much  as  a  million  pounds  of 
sponges  being  gathered  iji  a  single  year.  The  sponges 
are  obtained  by  divers,  or  by  fishing  for  them  with  a  hook 
attached  to  a  ])ole.  The  fishermen  ha\e  buckets  with 
glass  bottoms.  By  putting  such  a  bucket  into  the  water 
and  looking  into  it,  they  can   se'c  clear  t<»  the  bottom,  no 


THE    BAHAMAS    AND    THK    BERMUDAS  373 

matter  if  the  water  be  rough.  When  they  spy  a  good 
sponge,  they  thrust  down  their  poles,  catch  it  with  a  hook, 
and  pull  it  up.  When  the  sponge  first  comes  out,  it  is 
black  and  sticky,  —  a  soft-bodied  animal  that  looks  much 
like  a  marine  plant.  It  is  left  in  the  sun  a  short  time,  while 
the  softer  parts  decay.      The  skeleton   is   then  cleaned, 


"The  salt  is  hoed  and  shoveJed  into  carts." 

bleached,  and  dried  for  export.  Sponges  are  trimmed 
and  sorted  before  they  are  sold.  They  are  pressed  into 
bales  and  shipped  to  all   parts  of  the  world. 

Another  industry  of  tlie  Bahamas,  including  the  Turks 
and  Caicos  (ki'kds)  Islands  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  group, 
is  salt  making.  The  sea  water  is  admitted  to  lagoons  or 
beds,  so  made  that  the  sea  can  be  shut  out  from  them. 
After  the  lagoons  are  full  the  openings  are  closed,  when 
the   hot  sun  soon  evaporates    the  water,  leaving  the  salt 


374  'l"'"'    I'-KKMIDAS 

lyin<^  upon  the  i;r()Uiul.  There  is  so  much  produced  in 
this  way  that  it  is  gathered  up  for  shipment  to  different 
parts  of  the  world.  The  salt  is  hoed  and  shoveled  into 
carts  1)V   negroes,   and  carried   to  the   ])orts. 

Leaxing  the  l^ahamas  we  next  call  at  the  l^ernuidas, 
a  group  of  islands  somewhat  similar  to  the  Bahamas, 
lying'  north  of  the  West  Indies,  in  about  the  same  latitude 
as  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  They  also  belong  to  luig- 
land,  and  are  of  great  importance  as  a  naval  and  coaling 
station.  The  English  have  men-of-war  here  ready  to  start 
out  to  defend  their  possessions,  and  they  also  have  docks 
and  other  conveniences  for  the  rejxur  of  their  navy.  There 
is  a  garrison  of  English  soldiers  on  the  island. 

The  Bermudas  are  of  coral  formation,  but  the  soil  ui)()n 
them  is  so  rich  and  the  climate  so  mild  that  all  sorts  of 
flowers  grow  luxuriantly.  Geraniums  blot)m  all  the  \'ear 
round,  and  one  can  have  roses  from  Christmas  to  Christ- 
mas. There  are  oleanders  everywhere,  some  so  tall  that 
hedges  are  made  of  them.  One  of  the  great  crops  of  the 
island  is  lilies,  which  are  grown  both  for  their  bulbs  and 
for  flowers.  At  Easter  time  many  of  the  fiowers  are  shipped 
to  New  York,  and  later  on  the  bulbs  are  dug  up  and  ex- 
ported. Bermuda  also  sends  us  onions  and  early  potatoes; 
and  as  these  things  can  be  raised  here  when  it  is  still  winter 
in  the  United  States,  they  bring  high  prices. 

We  stay  a  day  or  so  at  Hamilton,  the  capital  of  the  l>er- 
mudas,  awaiting  a  steamer  to  take  us  back  to  our  homes. 
We  call  u])on  the  governor,  visit  the  parade  grounds  where 
the  soldiers  are  drilling,  and  then  ride  about  on  our  bicycles, 
looking  at  one  little  flower  farm  after  another,  but  all  the 
while  longing  for  the  time  of  our  sailing  to  come. 


TIIK    ISLANDS    ()!•    ICK    AND    SNOW  375 

At  last  the  hour  arrives,  and  we  go  on  board.  Our 
steamer  is  turned  to  the  northwest.  We  have  a  few  days' 
pleasant  sailing  when  we  sight  Sandy  Hook,  and  a  little 
later  on  find  ourselves  landed  in  New  York  on  our  own 
dear  American  soil. 


61.     THK    ISLANDS    OF    ICE   AND    SNOW 

THERE  are  some  important  islands  which  we  have 
passed  by  in  our  long  journey  around  the  world,  be- 
cause they  are  already  described  in  other  books  of  this 
series.  We  have  been  forced  to  omit  other  unimportant 
ones  on  account  of  their  small  commercial  or  industrial 
value,  or  because  they  were  so  far  out  of  the  line  of  our 
travels. 

The  British  Isles  we  visited  while  we  were  traveling  in 
Europe.  The  Japanese  archipelago  and  Hongkong  we 
saw  when  in  Asia,  Tierra  del  Fuego  (te-er'ra  del  fwa'g5) 
was  explored  during  our  tour  of  the  Grand  Division  of 
South  America,  and  the  seal  islands  of  Alaska,  Vancouver, 
and  the  fishing  banks  of  Newfoundland  we  learned  about 
in  our  journeys  in  North  America. 

Among  other  interesting  islands  are  these  of  the  great 
archipelago  about  the  North  Pole.  These  islands  belong 
to  various  countries,  but  chiefl)'  to  Great  l^ritain,  Russia, 
and  Denmark.  They  are  in  the  far  north,  vast  wastes  of 
ice  and  snow  with  icebergs  floating  about  them  and  with 
glaciers  extending  out  into  the  sea.  They  are  in  the 
region  of  long  da\'s  and  long  nights,  where,  for  some 
months,  the  sun  never  sets,  and  where  for  other  months  it 


376  TlIK    ISLANDS   (Jl    1<  K    AND    SNOW 

is  dark  all  the  da)'  ihrouL;]!.  Thcsi'  islands  arc  inliabited 
by  Kskimos  and  other  halt-savage  people  ot  the  same 
nature,  who  dress  in  furs  and  live  l)y  hunting-  and  fishing, 
having'  rude  huts  built  ol  stone,  or  blocks  of  ice  and  snow. 
They  have  no  domestic  animals,  but  dogs  and  reindeer. 
There  arc  many  such  tribes,  each  having  its  own  customs, 
but  all  more  or  less  alike. 

The  most  important  of  these  islands  are  (ireenland  and 
loehmd,  which  belong  chieti)'  to  Denmark.  Greenland  is 
by  far  the  largest  island  on  the  globe.  It  is  about  one 
fourth  the  size  of  the  United  States  without  Alaska  and  our 
outlying  colonies,  and  more  than  three  fourths  of  it  is 
covered  with  an  enormous  bed  of  ice  man)'  feet  thick. 
The  icy  bed  is  so  large  that  if  it  could  be  lifted  up  and 
sjiread  over  our  country,  it  would  cover  all  of  our  Atlantic 
states  with  the  exception  of  Georgia  and  l^'lorida.  The 
ice  ends  in  glaciers  at  the  shores,  or  some  distance  back 
from  them.  In  the  interior  it  covers  mountains  and  val- 
leys, although  some  of  the  mountains  are  more  than  two 
miles  in  height. 

Here  and  there  the  ocean  runs  far  into  the  land,  and  at 
places  glaciers  or  frozen  rivers  move  slowly  down  to  the 
water,  breaking  off  from  time  to  time  in  great  masses  w^ith 
a  noise  like  thunder.  It  is  said  that  more  than  a  billion 
tons  of  ice  push  out  from  the  shores  of  Greenland  into  the 
sea  every  year. 

This  vast  country  is  sparsely  populated.  It  has  all  to- 
gether only  several  hundred  Danes  and  some  thousands  of 
Eskimos.  The  Danes  govern  the  island.  They  have  little 
trading  places  along  the  coast  where  they  bring  wheat, 
coffee,  sugar,  and  tobacco ;   and  exchange  them  with  the 


THE    ISLANDS   OF    ICE    AND    SXOW 


377 


Eskimo  children. 


natives  for  furs,  sealskins,  dried  fish,  and  the  down  of 
the  eider  duck.  Some  of  them  have  little  gardens  where 
they  raise  lettuce,  cabbages,  and  radishes  in  the  few 
summer  months. 

The  Eskimos  usually  live  near  the  shore.  They  have 
little  huts  of  stone  or  turf  and,  in  the  winter,  of  snow  and 
ice  blocks.  They  are  hunters  and  fishers,  catching  seal 
and  walrus,  the  latter  animal  furnishing  a  great  part  of 
their  food.  They  net  ducks  and  other  birds,  and  some- 
times kill  musk  oxen  and  even  polar  bears.  They  drink 
melted  snow  water,  and  do  much  of  their  cooking  in  a  rude 
way,  with  fish  oil  and  blubber.  They  rely  chiefly  ujion 
their  clothing  to  keep  warm,  sleeping  in  fur  bags  at  night. 

The  men  and  the  women  have  much  the  same  dress, 
both  wearino-  stockinus  and  trousers  of   sealskin,  with   the 


37^ 


TIIK    ISLANDS    ()!•     UK    AND    S\(  )\V 


;.    ~ZC^u~„;.r  - ^  AHcfTc  -  - ,-  Ic rue: E  r-±»^V»^*   I 


fur  Uuncd  inwartl,  and  also  skin  stockings  and  boots. 
The  men  have  jackets  and  hoods  of  fur,  and  the  women 
sometimes  have  pouches  or  pockets  sewed  to  the  back  of 
their  garments ;  in  these  the  babies  are  carried  until  they 
are  old  enough  to  walk. 

The  Eskimos  make  boats  of  driftwood,  covered  with 
sealskin,  and  also  sleds  formed  of  bone,  wood,  and  skin, 
in  which  they  travel  over  the  frozen  ice,  drawn  by  dogs. 
They  are  all  together  of  a  low  grade  of  civilization,  and  of 
not  much  importance  in  the  work  of  the  world. 

Iceland  is  not  so  cold  as  Greenland,  although  it  lies  only 
a  short  distance  to  the  eastward ;  for  its  climate  is  tem- 
pered by  the  warm 
wdnds  from  the 
ocean.  It  is  not  un- 
inhabitable, and  it 
has  woods  of  stunted 
beech,  and  pastures 
upon  which  cattle 
thrive.  There  are 
many  farms  which 
support  sheep,  and, 
others  on  which  hardy  horses  are  reared. 

Iceland  is  about  the  size  of  Ohio.  It  is  very  mountain- 
ous, and  it  has  enormous  volcanoes  which  have  thrown  out 
so  much  lava  that  they  have  covered  about  one  tenth  of 
its  surface.  There  are  all  together  more  than  one  hundred 
volcanoes  and  many  hot  springs,  notwithstanding  that  the 
country  is  so  far  north,  and  that  it  has  great  glaciers  and 
vast  fields  of  snow. 

We  are  especially  interested  in  Iceland,  because  it  was 


1        J  ""   _,,»'«■      '^^#J'f°^i'=     K     ^       ICELAND 


w 


vX^* 


I  Kaupst&dr.  I         — 


«CALFOP  fcfTLES 


"ibo 


THE   ISLANDS   OF   ICE  AND   SNOW  379 

one  of  the  homes  of  the  Norsemen,  a  peoj)le  who,  it  is 
claimed,  discovered  America  ahiiost  five  hundred  years  be- 
fore Columbus  made  his  first  voyage  across  the  Atlantic. 
I'he  country  is  now  ruled  by  Denmark,  and  is  peopled 
largely  by  Danes.  Most  of  the  natives  live  by  rearing 
cattle  and  sheep,  and  by  fishing.  The  capital  is  Reikiavik 
(ri'ke-a-vik),  a  thriving  little  city  on  the  west  coast.  Here 
the  governor  general  lives,  and  here  the  little  parliament 
which  makes  the  laws  has  its  sitting.  Reikiavik  has  good 
schools,  a  national  library,  and  a  museum. 

Not  far  from  Iceland  are  the  Faroe  Islands,  twenty-four 
in  number,  inhabited  by  people  similar  to  the  Icelanders, 
who  devote  themselves  to  sheep  rearing  and  fishing.  Not 
very  far  away  from  the  Faroes  are  the  Shetland  Islands, 
noted  for  their  beautiful  ponies  ;  and  nearer  Scotland  are 
the  Orkneys  and  Hebrides,  belonging  to  that  country. 

Farther  northeast  of  Greenland,  and  inside  the  Arctic 
Circle,  are  Spitzbergen,  Franz  Josef  Land,  and,  nearer  the 
Russian  and  Siberian  coast,  Nova  Zembla,  the  New  Siberia 
Islands,  and  others. 

Most  of  the  latter  islands  have  no  permanent  inhabit- 
ants, but  they  are  visited  by  hunters  from  Siberia,  who 
cross  over  with  their  reindeer  to  take  advantage  of  the 
short  grass,  moss,  and  other  kinds  of  stunted  vegetation 
found  there.  They  also  go  to  hunt  the  bears,  foxes,  and 
other  animals  which  live  on  the  islands. 

Passing  on  eastward  and  going  through  the  Bering 
Strait,  we  find  some  large  islands  lying  between  Asia 
and  North  America.  The  Alaskan  archipelago  has  many 
islands  and  islets  ;  the  Aleutian  chain  and  the  Kuril 
Islands,  which    are   largely  volcanic,   are   of   considerable 


380     isi.AXi):=^  AKorxn  axd  aroi'T  south  amkrtca 

extent,  and  the  j^reat  island  ot  Sakhalin  (sa-Ra-l)en'),  off 
the  east  coast  of  Siberia,  is  six  hundred  miles  long,  and  at 
one  place  more  than  one  hundred  miles  wide.  This  island 
has  valuable  coal  beds,  oil  fields,  and  gold  mines.  It  has 
luxuriant  forests,  a  climate  in  which  grains  and  potatoes 
will  grow,  and  the  waters  surrounding  it  are  so  rich  in 
fish  that  it  is  said  the  fisheries  there  will  some  day  be  the 
most  important  of  the  whole  world. 

SakhaUn  now  belongs  partly  to  Japan  and  partly  to 
Russia.  The  northern  part  of  the  island  is  a  Russian 
prison  settlement  inhabited  by  exiles  and  convicts,  sent 
there  to  work  in  the  mines.  The  southern  part  belongs  to 
Japan.  It  is  noted  for  its  fisheries,  and  its  vast  forest  of 
fir  trees. 

62.     ISLANDS    AROUND    AND    ABOUT    SOUTH 
AMERICA 

WI''.  shall  take  one  more  trip  before  we  close  our 
explorations  of  the  great  island  world.  As  we  look 
over  the  globe  we  see  that  we  have  visited  the  waters 
about  Australia,  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  North  Amer- 
ica,  but  have   passed   South   America  by. 

South  America  has,  however,  but  few  island  groups 
near  it,  and  none  of  very  great  importance  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  archijielago  of  Tierra  del  Euego  about  its 
extreme  southern  end,  which  we  visited  during  our  jour- 
neys in  South  .America 

There  are  a  few  islands,  however,  which  are  deserving 
of   mention.     The   Galapagos  Archipelago,  lying  on    the 


ISLANDS   AROL'NI)    AND    AI'.oL'r    SOUTFl    AMF.RKA       38  r 

Equator  almost  directly  west  of  J'Lcuador,  is  a  little  ^i;roup 
especially  noted  for  its  large  turtles,  and  the  Guano  Islands, 
farther  south  along  the  coast,  are  famous  for  the  millions 
of  birds  which  roost  upon  them  and  live  and  die  there, 
making  a  valuable  fertilizer,  which  is  sent  by  the  shipload 
to  Europe  and  the  United  States. 


"Millions  of  birds  live  and  die  there" 

The  Guano  Islands  are  masses  of  volcanic  rock  rising 
out  of  the  ocean  ojjposite  the  great  desert  of  western 
South  America.  The  rain  never  washes  them,  and  they 
are  bare  of  everything  green.  The  birds  li\-e  on  the  fish 
of  the  waters  about.  Many  of  them  are  pelicans  which 
have  great  bills  with  ])ouches  under  them,  in  which  they 
scoop  the  fish  up  out  of  the  water,  eating  until  they  can 
eat  no  more.  The}'  then  climb  upon  these  islands  and 
lie  about  until  they  have  digested  their  food.     There  are 


382       IS1,ANDS    AKOLM)    AMJ    AliOLT    SoLTll    AMl-.KKA 

also  vast  flocks  of  sea  gulls  and  other  birds  which  bring 
the  fish  they  catch  to  the  islands,  and  sometimes  seals 
crawl  up  out  of  the  water  and  die  upon  them. 

This  has  gone  on  for  ages,  and,  since  there  is  but  Httle 
rain,  a  great  mass  of  manure  accumulated,  which  was  so 
valuable  that  nearly  all  of  it  has  been  mined  and  carried 
away  in  ships,  bringing  in  to  the  people  of  Peru,  to  whom 
the  islands  belong,  many  millions  of  dollars. 

South  of  the  guano  beds  and  farther  west  is  an  island 
belonging  to  Chile,  which  is  especially  interesting  to  us. 
It  is  known  as  Juan  Fernandez  (ho()-an'  f er-nan'deth ),  and 
is  the  island  upon  which  Alexander  Selkirk,  the  sailor 
whose  adventures  inspired  the  story  of  Robinson  Crusoe, 
was  cast  away.  Selkirk  had  fallen  out  with  the  captain 
and  mutinied,  and  he  was  given  the  choice  of  being 
hanged  or  left  alone  on  this  desert  island.  He  declined 
the  hanging,  and  was  landed  with  a  small  supply  of  pro- 
visions. He  lived  all  alone  on  the  island  for  four  years 
and  four  months,  when  an  English  war  vessel,  attracted 
by  his  watch  fires,  called  and  t(«)k  him  to  England.  While 
there  he  wrote  the  story  of  his  adventures,  and  it  is  sup- 
posed that  it  was  this  story  that  suggested  to  Daniel  Defoe 
the  tale  of  Robinson  Crusoe,  although  Defoe,  having  a 
better  knowledge  of  the  islands  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
Caribbean  Sea,  has  made  his  story  to  correspond  to  them 
in  its  descrijjtions  of  scenery,  ])r()ducts,  and  plants. 

It  is  but  a  short  distance  from  Juan  F'ernandez  to  Valpa- 
raiso, the  chief  ])()rt  of  Chile,  and  from  there  one  can  get 
shijjs  which  will  take  him  down  through  the  Strait  of  Ma- 
gellan to  tile  Faiklands.  about  250  miles  east  of  the  South 
American  continent.      These  islands  arc  farther  south  than 


ISLANDS   ARUU-ND    A.\D    ABuU  1'    SUUTll    AMERICA 


583 


On  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez. 

any  other  place  we  have  visited  in  our  tour ;  but,  owing  to 
the  \varm  ocean  currents  flowing  by  them,  the  grass  is 
green  all  the  year  round.  The  islands  all  told  have  only 
about  two  thirds  as  much  land  as  Massachusetts ;  but 
the}'  support  hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  finest  sheep, 
and  more  than  half  a  million  dollars'  worth  of  wool  is 
exported  every  year. 

The  Falklands  are  about  the  windiest  islands  on  the 
globe.  The  cold  winds  blow  every  day,  and  almost  all 
day  long.  They  blow  so  hard  that  not  a  tree  can  live, 
and  the  people  say  that  potatoes  are  sometimes  blown  out 
of  the  ground.  It  is  alwaws  cloud v  there.  The  air  is 
moist;   there  are  many  swamps,  and    nature  is  tlrcnry. 

The  Falklands  are  owned  by  Great  P>ritain,  and  their 
people  are  nearly  all  Scotchmen.     The  capital,  Port  Stan- 


^.S4       1>I..\M)S    AUolNl)    AMI    Al'.ori'    S(  )l' 1  1 1    AMKRICA 

ley,  is  a  little  town  ol  seven  lunulretl  inhabitants,  with 
luiglish  chnrches  and  sehouls,  antl  cottages  not  unlike  our 
own  houses. 

The  shepherds  live  in  little  huts  at  wide  distances  from 
one  another,  so  that  a  child  has  olten  to  ride  five  or  ten 
miles  if  he  would  have  a  game  with  his  next-door  neigh- 
bor. They  are  so  far  apart  that  they  can  not  have  schools 
like  ours,  so  the  government  furnishes  traveling  school- 
masters who  go  from  one  shepherd's  home  to  another  to 
teach  the  children.  The  teacher  stays  with  each  family  a 
fortnight,  and  then,  having  laid  out  a  course  of  study,  he 
goes  on  to  the  next  familv.  which  may  live  twenty  miles 
away.  After  a  time  he  gets  back  to  his  old  pupils  and 
examines  them  on  what  they  have  studied  during  his 
absence. 

Below  the  latitude  of  the  I-'alklands  there  are  several 
small  islands  claimed  by  various  countries,  but  none  of 
commercial  importance.  With  the  exception  of  Tierra 
del  Fuego,  there  is  no  other  land  so  far  south  of  the  Equa- 
tor that  has  any  value  whatever.  The  Falklands  are  the 
farthest  south  of  all  commercial  and  industrial  regions. 


INDEX 


Acheenese,  251. 

Adelaide,  34-39. 

Admiralty  Islands,  no. 

Agana,  Guam,  15 1. 

Aleutian  Islands,  379. 

Allspice,  353. 

Alps,  New  Zealand,  76. 

Andaman  Islands,  264. 

Antilles,  The  Lesser,  321-329. 

Ants,  52,  56,  64. 

Aparri,  184. 

Apia,  126. 

Apo,  Mount,  209. 

Apples,  Tasmanian,  71. 

Asphalt,  325. 

Auckland,  84. 

Australia,  General,  12-69;  Ants,  52, 
56 ;  Birds,  50-52 ;  Desert,  37 ; 
Farmers,  29-34;  Gold  Mining,  39- 
44;  Government  of,  16;  Great 
Lakes,  36;  Money,  20;  Natives, 
60-65  >  Pl^i^ts  and  Animals,  44-52  ; 
People,  21,  55;  Post  Office,  22; 
Sheep  and  Wool,  24-34, 

Azores,  The,  300. 

Bagobas,  203. 
Bahamas,  The,  370-374. 
Balearic  Islands,  302-305. 
Ballarat,  39. 
Bamboo,  188-200. 
Banjermassin,  222. 
Barbados,  321. 
Batavia,  228-233. 
Battaks,  252. 
Beche  de  Mer,  109. 
Bermudas,  The,  374. 
Betel  (hewing,  177. 


Bight,  Great  Australian,  67. 

Birds,  Australian,  50-52,  68;    Guam, 

152  ;   New  Guinea,  103,  104. 
Bismarck  Archipelago,  104-107. 
Bonaparte,  Napoleon,    293,    306-307, 

347- 
Boomerangs,  64. 
Borneo,  204,  213-223. 
Buccaneers,  347. 
Buddhists,  267. 

Cagayan  River,  184. 

Caicos  Islands,  373. 

Camphor,  186. 

Canary  Islands,  295-298, 

Cannibals,  113. 

Cape  Maisi,  362. 

Cape  Verde  Islands,  294. 

Carabao,  The,  168,  179. 

Carolines,  The,  no. 

Cebu,  194. 

Celebes,  223. 

Ceylon,  264-271. 

Chagos  Islands,  271. 

Christchurch,  80. 

Cinnamon,  269. 

Cloves,  224. 

Cochineal,  297. 

Cocoanuts,  125,  269,  344. 

Coffee,  Hawaii,  137-138;  Java,  246, 

Porto  Rico,  338. 
Colossus  of  Rhodes,  The,  316. 
Columbus,  Christopher,  320,  346,  349, 

352,  360,  379. 
Commerce,  Wonders  of,  71,  260. 
Cook,  Captain  James,  14,  55,  90,  131. 
Cook  Islantls,  III. 
Copra,  125. 


385 


386 


1X1  )FX 


(Joral,  54,  57,  100  ;  riankns,  115. 
(.'DrrcgidDr,  Islam  1  nf,  ihi. 
Corsica,  30(1. 
Crete,  315. 
Cuba,  357-370 
Cyprus,  317. 

Dagupan,  1S4. 

Danish  Islands,  376-379. 

Davau,  209. 

Duminicaii  Republic,  344-35  !• 

Dunedin,  80. 

Dutch  Horneo,  222. 

Dutch  Kast  Indies,  222-257. 

Dyaks,  215-219. 

Elba,  307. 
EUice  Islands,  iii. 
Emus,  51,  65. 
Eskimos,  377. 
Etna,  Mount,  310. 

Falklands,  The,  382,  383. 
Fanning  Island,  iii. 
Faroe  Islands,  379. 
Fiji  Islands,  III-II9. 
F'lores,  226. 
Formosa,  i86. 
Franz  Josef  Land.  37Q. 
French  Islands,  Madagascar,  274-289; 
Pacific,  91-95. 

GiJapagos  Islands,  380. 

iiilhert  Islands,  m. 

(iinger,  353. 

(iold  Mining  in  Australia,  39-44. 

(ireat  Barrier  Reef,  53. 

Cireenland,  376. 

(irenada,  323. 

(iuadeloupe,  327. 

(Juam,  148-153. 

(luano  Islands,  381. 

Haiti,  344-351  ;    Covernment,  347. 
Hamilton,  Alexander,  327. 
Havana,  362-366  ;    Markets,  366. 


Hawaiian  Islands,  127-148;  Indus- 
tries, 135-140;  Natives,  131,  139- 
141;    N'oUanoes,  142-148. 

Head  Hunters,  216. 

Hebrides,  The,  379. 

Hemp,  194-197. 

Hilo,  142. 

Flindoos.  237,  324.  * 

Hobart,  69. 

Honolulu,  127,  132-134. 

Hovas,  The,  278-287. 

Iceland,  378. 

Igorrotes,  190. 

Ilo  Ilo,  197. 

Indians,  Cuba,  360;    Haiti,  346. 

Indigo,  243. 

Indonesians,  159. 

Ionian  Islands,  314. 

Ivory,  291. 

Jamaica,  352-356. 

Jamestown,  293. 

Japanese  Islands,  110,  186. 

Java,  228-248;  Industries  of,  241-248; 

Natives,  232-241. 
Johore,  263. 
Juan  Fernandez  Islands,  382. 

Kandy,  267. 
Kangaroos,  47, -65. 
Kauri  f^um,  84. 
Kava,  124. 
Kingston,  353. 
Klings,  261. 
Kuching,  221. 
Kurile  Islands,  186,  379 

I.acadive  Islands,  27I. 
I.adrones,  1 10. 
Laguiia  de  Bay,  192. 
Lemurs,  28S. 
Leyte  Island,  197. 
Lillies,  Hernuida,  374. 
Loyalty  Island,  94. 
Luzon,  1 61- 192. 


INDEX 


387 


Madagascar,  274-289. 
Madeira  Islands,  29S. 
Magellan,  153,  164,  194,  224. 
Makassar,  223. 
Malayans,  159. 
Maldive  Island,  271. 
Malta,  312-314. 
Manila,  161-177;    Bay,  162. 
Maoris,  89,  90. 
Marcu  Polo,  251. 
Marquesas  Island,  94. 
Marshall  Islands,  1 10. 
Martinique,  327. 
Mauritius,  271. 
Mayon  Volcano,  192. 
Melbourne,  43. 
Menezes,  95. 
Mindanao,  201-211. 
Mohammedans,  203,  237. 
Moluccas,  224. 
Mores,  201-213. 
Mo/.amt)ique,  291. 
Murray  River,  35. 

Nassau,  371. 

Negritos,  159,  191. 

Negros,  197. 

Nevis  Island,  327. 

New  Britain,  107. 

New  Caledonia,  91-93. 

New    Guinea,    95-107,    225;    British, 

95-104;  Natives,  106. 
New  Providence  Island,  370. 
New    Zealand,     73-90;      liirds,     78; 

Government, 83;  Hot  Lakes, 86-89; 

Sheep,  79-82. 
Nicobar  Islands,  264. 
North  Borneo,  219. 
Noumea,  91-93. 
Nova  Zembla,  379. 
Nutmegs.  225. 

Orang-outang,  215. 
Orkneys,  379. 

Pago  Pago,  120. 
Palermo,  310. 


Palmerston,  60. 

Panay,  197. 

Papua,  Territory  of,  97. 

Paumotu  Islands,  94. 

Pearls,  57-60,  65,  109. 

Pemba  Island,  291. 

Pepper,  256. 

Pertii,  66. 

Philippine  Islands,  153-213;   Climate, 

158;     Forests,    187;     Fruits,    176; 

Markets,       173;       People,       159; 

Schools,  200  ;   Villages,  182. 
Pineapples,  139,  343. 
Platypus,  49. 
Polynesians,  122. 
Port  au  Prince,  350,  351. 
Port  Darwin,  62. 
Port  Lewis,  271. 
Port  Moresby,  98. 
Porto    Rico,    329-344;    Government 

of,  336;   Villages,  340. 
Port  Royal,  353. 

Queensland,  53-60. 
Quinine,  247. 

Rabbits,  Australian,  34. 

Reikiavik,  379. 

Reunion,  273. 

Rhinoceros,  251. 

Rhodes,  316. 

Rice,  Hawaii,  138;   Java,  242;    Philip- 

]iines,  180. 
Riu  Kiu  Islands.  186. 
RuarinL:;  Forties,  73. 
i\iii)ins(in  Crusoe,  382. 

Sago,  255. 

Saint  Christopher,  327. 
Saint  Helena,  292. 
Saint  Lucia,  326. 
Saint  Thomas,  32S. 
Saint  X'incent,  294,  323. 
Sakalavas,  287-289. 
Sakhalin,  380. 
Salt,  373. 


388 


i\i)i:x 


SaniDn,  I  I') -I  27. 

Sandakan,  21^^,  219. 

San  Juan,  332-337. 

Santiaj;o,  361. 

Santu  1  )iiniingi),  348-350, 

Sarawak,  220. 

Sardinia,  30S. 

Selkirk,  Ak-\an.l<.r,  3S2. 

Seychc-rKs,  The,  271. 

Sharks,  00. 

Sheep,   Australia,  24-34;     New   Zea- 

I     land,  79-S2. 

Shetland  Island,  379. 

Sicily,  309. 

Singa|)ore,  257-264. 

Society  Islands,  94. 

Sokotra,  291. 

Solomon  Islands,  loS. 

South  Australia,  34-39. 

Southern  Ocean,  67. 

Spitzbergen,  379. 

Sponges,  372. 

Stevenson,  Robert  Louis,  127. 

Sugar,  Barbados,  321 ;  Cuba,  367-36S; 
Haiti,  346;  Hawaii,  135-137;  Java, 
243;  Mauritius,  272;  I'hilippines, 
181 ;    Porto  Rico,  338,  342. 

Sulphur,  31 1. 

Sulu  Islands,  209,  210-213. 

Sumatra,  249-257. 

Sumbawa,  227. 

Surabaya,  231. 

Surf  Riding,  141. 

Sydney,  i()-23. 

Taal  N'olcano,  19^. 
'lamatave.  275. 
Tambora,  Mount.  227. 


Tananarivo,  2S0-287. 
Taro,  109,  141. 

Tasman  ( ilacier,  75. 
Tasmania,  O9-73. 

Tea,  244. 

Teneriffe,  296. 

Thursday  Island,  59. 

Tierra  del  Fuego,  380. 
Timor,  226. 

Toi)acco,  Cuba,  368-370;    Pliilijipines, 
184;  Sumatra,  255;  Used  as  Money, 
98. 
Tobago,  326. 

Tonga  lslan<Is,  1 1 1. 
Townsville,  55. 

Traveler's  I'alm,  282. 

Trinidad,  323. 
'Tristan  da  Cunha,  292. 

Turks  Islands,  373. 
Tutuila,  17,  119-126. 

Vanilla,  273. 
N'ictoria,  35. 

Visayan  Islands,  193-201. 
\'olcanoes,  85,  107,  142-14S,  192,  209, 
227. 

Wellington,  82. 

Western  Australia,  65-67. 

West  Indies,    319-370. 

Wetter  Island.  226. 

Whales,  65. 

Wilkes,  Captain  Charles,  112. 

Wool,  Australia,  24-34. 

Zami)oanga,  201,  206. 
Zante,  314. 
Zanzibar,  289-292. 


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